For the Love of Chilidogs
by June Dune
Summary: Cocky, cool-mannered, and caring. Hard to bring a hero like that down. But one moment with a crazy fangirl plunges him into uncharted territory, and Sonic comes face-to-face with a reality that sends him reeling. Now, his choices can be detrimental to his future. Is it freedom or friends? Changes or chilidogs? A coming-of-age fic.
1. Chilidog Dash

******Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic, Amy, or really anything else Sonic-related. All that is owned by SEGA.**

**WARNING!: Sonic is slightly OOC in the beginning chapters on purpose to develop him into the hero he is today.**

**How he is OOC: I'm emphasizing the bad traits of Sonic so much in this story that he seems like a total jerk; I'm trying to see how he would originally feel with all these powers and stuff before he becomes truly selfless. After all, we all have to start somewhere. Don't worry, the good traits about Sonic will come and round this character out. That's the whole purpose of this story.**

**And he is not totally friends with Amy like in other continuities; the only times they converse are when they are fighting together or when Amy is chasing him. So if you're all for a Sonic-centered, character-developing story on how your famous blue hedgehog becomes the hero he is today, then this is for you. :)**

**Now that that's out of the way, please enjoy the story!**

**-JD**

* * *

The bitter icy wind stung Sonic's eyes as he ran towards it and tried to gain speed against it. Fighting the wind instead of going where it wants to. It was a nice challenge, more of a distraction though, since Eggman hadn't shown his face in quite a while. It seemed odd to Sonic especially since it was time for many evil figures to try and steal the famed holiday of the season.

As the blue hedgehog dashed into the next town against the flow of the weather, he heard merry church bells ring out from there. The townspeople were already on their feet despite it being a viciously frigid afternoon, and they were hanging beloved holly wreaths on their doorposts.

Shops were lined up on each side of the town, and streams of people walked to and fro along the snow-covered sidewalks. Sonic grinned as the aroma of candy canes reached his nose from one of the stores; it seemed like some of the shop workers were already at work.

Sonic swung himself in the candy shop, and he was immediately met with blissful, sweet scents that barely tempted his hunger. Quickly, he snuck a candy cane in his quills, threw some coins on the counter, and escaped all in one blue blur. He slowed his sprint to a trot just to overhear the surprised sputtering of the shop owner and then a laugh of realization. "Merry Christmas, ya big blue jokester hero you!"

The 'big blue jokester hero' chuckled to himself and winked at a group of ogling kids before speeding off out of the town. After a few strides, a tantalizingly familiar scent reached his nose, causing him to follow its direction. It beat fighting the wind, anyway.

The scent brought him to a quaint, medium-sized building surrounded by several other structures, where the smell was even stronger. Licking his lips, Sonic plunged into the edifice. "Ah, chilidogs!" he cried jubilantly, raising his hands in victory.

The little diner reeked of the smell along with coffee and donuts and whatever diners reeked of. Tasteless saliva lathered over his tongue as he tried to imagine what the taste of those chilidogs would be, but to no avail. Shaking off the remnants of the cruel cold, Sonic strutted to the cute small waiting space resting near the entrance and plopped down in a crimson and white couch, tapping his foot excitedly.

Traditional Christmas lights hung neatly on the walls and windows, and there even was a decorated miniature tree on one of the tables. Few customers resided there, and they didn't pay a single grain of attention to the blue hero, probably the work of the lulling holiday carols over the radio. Sonic took a glance at the classic black and white tiled floors all tidy and proper and the old-fashioned high top counters and stools, not the least bit disorganized.

"Nice place," Sonic commented softly to himself.

"Why, thank you, Sonic! I worked really hard on it for someone like you to come!" A jovial voice giggled. The blue hedgehog's stomach plummeted, nearly taking his hunger with it. He swiveled his spiky blue head to the direction of the voice, praying it wasn't so.

"Amy?!"

It was so.

The pink hedgehog's face hadn't changed much. Still creepily bearing into his soul with that devious smile. "Wh-what are you doing here?" he stuttered, attempting to gulp. As his eyes trailed down her outfit, his throat seemed to close up because of the giant lump he'd like to call discomfort formed there. She wore an apron over her normal dress, and it boasted a shiny gold nameplate. "You...work here?"

"Not only that, I own this diner!" she chirped, "Amy's Chilidog Diner! Didn't you read the giant sign outside?" Sonic mentally cursed his innate ability to ignore everything when it involved his favorite food.

"C'mon, I have a table for you. You must be starving after all the heroic things you've done today!" Amy said, gesturing to a small booth to which the blue hedgehog sat down at. He had to admit; it was cozy, but his waitress started to make him feel uneasy again, the lump in his throat becoming larger.

"What would you like?" the cheery voice asked.

Avoiding her gaze, he managed to gasp out, "A chilidog." Until then he didn't even realize he was holding his breath. Amy giggled once again, and Sonic felt his muzzle heat up.

"Right away, Sonic!"

Sonic threw his head back and groaned quietly along with the Christmas music. He didn't even get past the first verse when he heard:

"Here you go, Sonic! A chilidog just like you ordered!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow incredulously. "That was quick," he mumbled, as his waitress handed him his meal.

"Thanks, I try to make the service just like you, fast and efficient!" Amy said, grinning genially. Sonic noticed that her hands were moving constantly as if she was nervous. Nevertheless, he chomped into the chilidog, his hunger getting the better of him. His lime eyes widened.

He knew chilidogs were a heavenly food, but was there anything that tasted this divine? Sonic noticed Amy's knowing smile and instantly changed his look of surprise. But the damage was done. "Do you mind?" he snapped rather harshly. Amy waved her hands apologetically, and her head dropped away from his increasingly angry gaze.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll leave you to your chilidog," his waitress spoke humbly, but he could see her beaming as she left. Sonic chugged his meal, dropped his cash, and left. This would never happen again.

Sonic munched yet another chilidog uncomfortably under the gaze of his pink admiring waitress. He almost felt the taste becoming bland in his mind because of the extreme awkwardness he was feeling. It was almost as if someone was applying more and more pressure on his chest, sending the feeling up his throat to disable his ability to swallow. Amy was the epitome of his discomfort, the very reason he had these strange occurrences, and he abhorred them indignantly.

Her plan was clever. It was bold. But most of all, it was working. How could it not? He adored the spicy flavor that seeped from the enticing chili sauce as it delicately coated his tongue in its heavenly goodness. The steaming pork he especially liked because it brought back memories of grilling his own 'dogs back when he was Tails' age.

His eyes that were shut in imagination now opened to view once again that goofy smile half-hidden behind the ferns on the counter. He could not get the dancing images of her chasing him obsessively out of his mind.

With a shrill groan, he threw his head back. What was he still doing here? Why did he always come back? He knew that Amy was doing this to force him to be with her. Soon she might even withhold a chilidog from him until he asked her out. And if he complied to that, there would be no stopping her in her insane pursuit of the words 'Will you marry me.'

And she _always _did that. No matter what form it took whether it be pretending to be like one of the guys or full-blown screaming it, her plan always wrapped around the concept of marrying the blue hero, getting him to settle down. More like tying him down to one spot for all eternity. And that-if his freedom was at stake-would be the worst punishment he could bear.

Marriage for life.

Sonic let the chilidog slip out of his withering hold. That was not going to happen, not under his watch. He was a free-moving spirit that didn't like to be held down, and she had just locked him in a homey diner façade with the key in her clutches. Sonic the Hedgehog would not fall prey to this trap, not even when the enemy dangled chilidogs right in front of his nose. She hadn't tried anything fishy, but he knew that it was about time for the fangirl to burst out.

Though he loved eating his 'dogs to death, this would not be Amy's ticket to his proposal. He was the hero of the world; he had escaped traps better structured than this. However, though this trap was by far the most delicious, most scrumptious one yet, he'd find a way. He was sure of that!

With newfound confidence, Sonic scattered a couple of rings on his table and dumped the half-eaten chilidog in the trash bin. He sped off from the diner, not the least bit distracted from the beguiling smell he was leaving.

"Have a nice day, Sonic!" He heard his waitress call after him.

He grimaced.

This would end.

White afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds of the diner and shone brilliantly on Amy's short pink quills as she diligently washed each table for the next shift. Still, murmurings of customers alit the diner with noise, and Amy contributed to it as well, humming along with the bright, upbeat tune on the radio. With a small smile painted on her face, she twirled between an aisle and grabbed her towel on the counter. Unable to control herself, her jade eyes trailed back to the red and white clock next to the counter.

Almost 3 o' clock. Almost time for him to come.

Her hips swayed to the Christmas song as she worked with an ever-growing grin and thoughts about her favorite customer. Sonic the Hedgehog had come every single day to her little diner! Amy knew he had an insatiable love for chilidogs, and by setting up this convenient little shop, she was able to see him every day.

This was such an accomplishment since she never got to see her blue crush. She understood that he had to save the world from Dr. Eggman, and she wanted him to continue to do that. Amy loved his heroism, his character, everything about him. She wanted to get to know him better, and what better way to get him near her than to set up a shop that involved a food he had time to eat every day!

It was a little deceptive, she had to admit, but it wasn't like her diner was the only one that served chilidogs. Sonic had loyally come to her diner specifically for the past two weeks at the exact same time: 3 o' clock, not a minute early.

"Maybe," she said, "the reason why he comes to my diner isn't because of the chilidogs but because he's attracted to me!" The thought, being so intriguing, made her break into an excited fit of giggles.

"Still, Amy," she told herself, "you mustn't pull yourself down on any rabbit trails. You want to be friends with him, not a crazed fangirl chasing him everywhere he goes like in the past. I must continue doing what I've been doing, being as friendly as possible because obviously it hasn't scared him off yet." In her mind, though, she secretly wished her gentle, less abrasive actions would not go unnoticed to her hunky blue hedgehog.

The three chimes of her clock drew her back to reality and an uncontrollable sense of anticipation. "He's coming! He's coming!" she squealed, adjusting as many things she found unworthy of his presence as possible. She hurled her towel towards the counter over several customer's heads, receiving many odd looks in return, and she scampered over to the front door, swiftly avoiding any puddles on the floor. Amy pressed her face against the window door eagerly and attempted to spot the first sign of her speedy blue customer.

Her heart thudded in her chest so thunderously she wondered if any of her customers could hear it. Will he burst through these doors at supersonic speeds with a piece of Eggman's destroyed ship and a cocky smile? Will he charge in first in a race against Tails, loudly announcing to the whole diner how he could use a chilidog? Or will he rush into this diner finally willing to talk to her?

"Waitress!" A husky voice called from Table 3.

Amy wrinkled her nose. Why, at the most precious of times? She turned around with a cheerful smile.

"Yes, sir?" she asked politely.

"Could you please give me another refill of water?" the customer offered, raising his empty glass.

"Sure can!" Amy said, reaching for his cup. However, the glass slipped out of his fingers, barely grazed her hands, and shattered into a million pieces on the wooden floor. She winced at this piece of unnecessary damage. _Well, at least it had no water in it_, she told herself, gathering the shards delicately into her hands.

"It's okay, sir," she assured, "I've got this! You needn't pay any money for-"

The customer wasn't even looking at her. Instead, his wide eyes looked beyond her, causing her to swing around curiously to see the commotion. Outside the diner, a blue figure was trekking through the snow and was heading towards the doors along with a horde of men dressed in black.

Amy's heart swelled. Sonic, he had come! She evened her apron, amended the creases in her gloves, and flew towards the entrance.

She bowed and opened the door reverently with a cheerful smile. "Welcome to Amy's Chilidog Diner, sir!" she exclaimed as Sonic brushed past without a word to her. "Sonic?"

Sonic stopped in the center of the diner. He looked distraught and ragged, his spines messier than ever and lime eyes wilder than before, which distressed Amy.

"What's the matter, Sonic?" she cried, nearing her hero, but she was blocked off by her faithful customers who had stood up to see all the fuss. Amy wrung her hands in alarm as she watched him pace back and forth.

"This! This is the place, guys! Everyone, stop what you're doing!" the blue hedgehog hollered. "This food...is contaminated!"

Gasps were heard across the room, and Sonic continued to fidget sporadically. "It's true!" he proclaimed. "There's a poison in all of us, in me! It's a long-term poison that slowly cuts off your life! It's too late to be treated, fellow citizens, for the poison she gave us!" He pointed an accusing finger at Amy, and fearful sets of eyes rested on her.

Amy's face instantly contorted into a look of hurt, and she stared at Sonic in confusion. "Sonic, I don't know what you're talking about. Everything I make in this diner is full of love and care~!"

"Ah, love and care that which is poison!" he declared, causing another uproar in the diner. "Honestly, Amy, look what your poison has done to me," he said, gesturing to his unkempt, sickly disposition, "And I thought you loved me!"

Tears bubbled in Amy's jade eyes; she almost believed what he said was true. "I do love you, Sonic," she whispered softly. The blue hedgehog's eyes once prideful became pained at this and averted her baffled gaze.

"Sir, we can't prove that her food is contaminated unless there's proof," the Health Department, the horde of men that had followed Sonic, added. The blue hedgehog shook himself from his trance and promptly thrust an eager pointer finger in the air.

"Ah, yes, the proof! Into the kitchen!" Sonic called, dashing behind the counter. Everyone followed the hero intently as he shuffled into a small closet. "There!" he cried, dumping a large can of hot magenta toxic waste on the floor. "Need I say more?" Sonic grinned cheekily as the health inspectors wrote furiously in their notepads.

Amy was at a loss for words. She was framed. "I-I didn't do this! I've never seen this in my life! That wasn't there before!" she exclaimed. But it was no use. One of the health inspectors gave her a piece of paper.

"You are in violation of Health Code 3177. Any toxic waste used in food is an automatic restaurant shutdown. This diner is shut down for obvious health reasons. Objection to do so or any more instances like this will result in jail time, Ms. Rose."

Amy gaped at the paper as the crowd bustled away, many shooting dirty looks at the girl and others groaning as if they were really poisoned. She only contained one simple thought in her head. _What just happened?_

Sonic checked his imaginary watch. He knew exactly what time it was: 3:15 PM. "C'mon, Tails, where can you be?" he asked himself impatiently. He couldn't wait until he got the vat of toxic waste, the Mega Mack that Tails and him had once experienced in Chemical Plant Zone, out of his slender tan arms. That poisonous pink water still gave him nightmares.

The plan had gone remarkably well. The health inspectors believed every fabricated word he had said. All they needed was a little "proof" and his charming face to seal the deal. Pfft, long-term poison? That was like saying that 100% of people who drink water die.

Despite there not being any more chilidogs to eat, he'd find a way. There was bound to be another chilidog diner somewhere. And if he didn't like the taste of those 'dogs, he could wait a little while and then ask Amy to make him one after all this had blown over. Besides, she still loved him, even if it was in a real creepy way.

Forget all that, he was free! Free from her clutches and her plan! Free from eating her chilidogs and free from discomfort! He felt as if he could take on any of Eggman's final bosses and beat them without even turning super.

To increase his happiness, his little bro arrived just in time. With his two tails whirling in a low hover, the fox fell into a gradual drift when he caught sight of the blue hedgehog. Sonic grinned at the putrid odor of petroleum and the aroma of hurriedly applied 'Spring Breeze' cologne.

"Tails, my buddy! So glad to see you!" he exclaimed, his arm extending his curled hand. The fox returned the fist bump and beamed artlessly, revealing his youthful age.

"Feeling better, Sonic?" Tails asked, brushing back his messy bangs with a soiled glove.

"Better? I feel the best I've ever been in a long time!" the blue hedgehog chuckled arrogantly, handing the vat of toxic waste to the young two-tailed fox. Then, sticking a gloved hand in his cobalt quills, Sonic tossed the long-forgotten candy cane to him. Tails' azure orbs danced with merriment as he clutched the noxious container in his stubby golden arms and caught the treat in his mouth. Finally, Sonic could smooth out his roughed up quills; they were starting to irritate him like that.

"Thanks for returning the Mega Mack to me, Sonic. I have this cool experiment that especially needs it," the fox mumbled vigorously around the candy cane, "And besides, what were you using it for? An act or something?"

Sonic met his little brother's gaze and smirked. "Something like that."

_ Thud!_

The blue hedgehog swerved around on the tips of his toes to the noise behind him, and his smile immediately dropped. Amy stood before the two. Her Piko Piko Hammer had crashed onto the concrete street, and her figure was frozen. Her normally jolly jade eyes had lost its fire, only leaving smoky shades of tearful confusion and shock, all aimed at him.

_ Oh no_.

Tails swiveled his head towards Amy and then back to Sonic wildly in concern as if he was desiring in an answer. The pink hedgehog merely stood there, staring at the blue hedgehog, as pedestrians strolled by.

And Sonic? He just simply did what he did best.

Follow the wind.


	2. The Two-Tailed Interloper (In His Coats)

**Extra Disclaimer: The image for this story is not made by me but by catnaro on DeviantART. And I do not own Le Cordon Bleu from real life.**

**Thanks so much GummyGal, luckyleafs, and ShinyShiny9 for reviewing and for the rest of you for following/faving. I hope I can keep up the standard. ^_^**

* * *

Mouth-watering smells wafted throughout the Rose apartment as Amy deftly maneuvered through all her Christmas decorations to reach the oven. Most of the décor were left in the boxes and on every piece of available furniture for weeks since she used to be busy with managing her diner. Her stereo blaring about the most wonderful time of the year helped her block out all the pain and initial shock of last week. Part of her wished that she hadn't finally got that Sonic really didn't want to know her, but the other part, the more reasonable part, knew that it was just about time.

"Okay..." she murmured, opening up her oven that released a wave of banana, "The banana bread looks about done. Next, I'll put in the pumpkin pie, and after that I think that Christmas cookie dough will be ready for baking." Amy slipped on her oven mitts and managed to set her delectable gift on the counter. Then, she wrote on a small sticky note: To Knuckles. From Amy.

"He always liked banana bread, right? Or was that Espio?" The lively ringing of her doorbell interrupted her small dilemma and set her into a fretful flurry of nerves. "Oh, I wonder who it could be?" she questioned aloud, swinging her door open, "Oh, hello, Tails!"

Tails, the adorable munchkin, stood outside her door bundled up in what looked like five layers of winter coats. "Hey Amy," he mumbled behind his clothes, "May I come in?"

"Sure, come right ahead! Make yourself feel right at home! I even have something for you, anyway," she said, beckoning the fox in cheerfully. Tails complied to her welcome and slowly seated himself in one of her ornament-covered chairs while Amy hurriedly grasped the treat she had baked for him. "See, it's candy cane-flavored three-layered cake!" she announced.

Tails' cerulean eyes became as wide as the stove's burners when he saw the fancily-iced red and white cake. "I've never heard of that, but it sounds delicious," he grinned, reaching for it eagerly.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's something new I tried. Merry Christmas, Tails!"

Amy half-expected the young two-tailed fox to head on out and forget his order of business, but he remained, looking a bit more awkward than before.

"Erm...Amy..." Tails bit his lip, "Thanks for all that you've done, and I just wanted to apologize for what Sonic did to you, whatever he's done to you. I wanted to make sure you were okay, y'know, staying here all alone in your apartment."

"Oh, I'm all right, Tails, really," the pink hedgehog assured, collapsing into a chair of her own, "All this Christmas baking can keep a girl busy, y'know!"

At this time, her crush's best friend had taken the liberty to dig in to his home-cooked gift. Amy remained silent, a secret happiness rising in her as the fox's eyes lit up at the bite.

"Does it taste good?" she inquired politely with a growing smile. To her joy, he merely nodded, his face stuffed with cake.

Once Tails gulped down the rest of his food, he said, "Yes, I think this just might be my new favorite dessert. I wish I could have more!"

Amy sprung up from her seat, her mind rejuvenated.

"Right away, Tails!" she answered merrily, heading towards her kitchen.

This took the little fox quite off-guard, and he half-scampered, half-fell out of his chair. "Hey, you don't have to do that, Amy. You already have a lot on your plate as it is!" he cried, throwing out a hand in her direction. Amy giggled, taking his hand and pulling the fox to his feet.

"I want to do this, Tails," she said simply with a reassuring pat on his arm. The fox remained where he stood as she returned to her baking. Everything was silent for a second save for the booming upbeat Christmas music and the hissing of pots and pans.

"Do you want to cook for a living? 'Cause you really are that good," Tails muttered, causing the pink hedgehog to blush.

"Aw, you really mean that?" she said as she faced him, her eyes glittering with affection, "Well, I was thinking about applying to Le Cordon Bleu, this really prestigious, super-talented culinary arts school. I mean there're so many famous chefs that came out of that place, and I was wondering if I could really do it or not, so I don't-"

Tails placed a gloved hand on her shoulder. "Do it," he stated bluntly, and Amy nodded, smiling sincerely towards him.

His jaws flew open again, about to say something else, until piercing beeps sounded from the microwave and jarred his thoughts. He quickly sealed his lips back together as Amy fled from his reach to correct the machine.

"Well, I better get going now," Tails muttered, watching the pink hedgehog arrange her cooking projects, "I have a new experiment that I've started that might help us against Eggman, and I'm really psyched about finishing it. So I gotta go. Bye, Amy!"

Amy grinned and waved as her friend edged to the door past the box of Christmas ornaments. "Bye, Tails! Merry Christmas!" she called cheerfully.

"And a merry Christmas to you, too!" was the last words he said before her front door shut behind him. With an exasperated sigh, Amy flopped back into her chair, feeling quite taxed now after the surprise visit as if someone flipped the off switch on her energy meter. She closed her eyes for a minute while her finger twirled a loose strand of pink hair from her head in an absentminded manner.

It really warmed Amy's heart that Tails had taken the time to care, but she was slightly disappointed if not aggravated that Sonic wasn't the one to come and apologize to her. It was his fault anyway.

She clenched the arm of the chair. It boiled her blood to hear he hadn't even mentioned the event to Tails, his closest friend, as if he thought he didn't do anything wrong. _The nerve of that hedgehog!_

Abruptly, the pink hedgehog stood up and brushed herself off. "Don't you worry about him, Amy," she told herself, "You need to focus on getting all these treats done for your friends, and then you can figure him out later."

With that, Amy returned to her kitchen Christmas work, blending in with all the season's greetings and holiday cheer as if nothing was going on.

* * *

"Hello, _sir_, what would you like at Eggbert's Coastal Shack?" the waitress pressed with an overbearing smile. Sonic grumbled, skimming through the menu in his gloved hands as a boisterous bar song played throughout the restaurant.

Then, giving up on finding anything he wanted, he murmured witheringly, "A chilidog."

"Oh, you mean the Sonic Special?" the waitress winked and scribbled it on her notepad, "Coming right up!" Sonic rolled his eyes. _Someone_ thought they were clever coming up with that one. "Would you like a refill of your water, _sir?_"

"Sure, why not?" Sonic said but immediately wished he didn't. His waitress leaned down nice and slow to grab his cup in a highly suggestive manner, revealing what best shouldn't be revealed. He averted his lime orbs in hidden disgust, scooting closer to the window of his booth, while the overpowering waft of spring flowers mixed with melting wax of the perfume reached his nostrils and mouth. It almost made him lose of what little he had for an appetite; that's for sure.

Once his flirty waitress had left, it wasn't even two minutes before Sonic felt his patience ebbing away. The rowdy conversations in the 'shack' and kids sporadically screaming, "It's Sonic the Hedgehog!" didn't help.

Around three minutes, he began to curse irritably about the way the diner was built, as he was seated by the uncovered window that had the sun shining right in his eyes. When he shifted his weight to look at the diner's interior, he viewed cheesy, dingy-looking Christmas décor that almost appeared provocative and somewhat insulting. And despite all the mud and dirt he usually tracked into buildings after a run, he despised every fiber of the dust that clung to his cherry red sneakers on the floor.

Compared to Amy's diner, this place was a pigpen.

_Amy_. His eyes narrowed at the thought of her, which soon trailed back to thoughts of the event that happened a week ago. In his mind, he could vividly picture the image of her staring back at him with those wounded eyes. He had no intention of hurting her. He wasn't thinking what would happen if she actually found out.

His finger tapped against the table, creating a mellow sound that Sonic could tune his ears into.

All he really wanted was to get away from her, to be free, and he had rushed himself into messily coordinating something to solve that problem. Perhaps he had gone too far? Perhaps he was too paranoid? Sonic gazed at the swirling murky water in his glass. Was this...regret?

He shook his head and scowled. No, no regrets. He was Sonic the Hedgehog; he wasn't supposed to have those! At least, that's what everyone else said about him.

In frustration, he slammed his fist down on the table, causing the unstable top to rattle. He didn't go too far. _She_ went too far. _She _hit way too close to home by using his weakness, chilidogs. Why did she use those? To get him to fall in love with her, that's what, he rationalized.

And yet Sonic couldn't will himself to smirk at this conclusion. Why did this girl make his simple life seem so convoluted?

Run, fight Eggman, eat chilidogs, run, fight Eggman...that was true freedom. If she hadn't been there when he gave the Mega Mack to Tails, none of this would've been happening. But her heart was now broken, and he was made out to be the bad guy.

_Why does she have to go and ruin everything?_

"Here you go, _sir_, Sonic Special, extra special," the thick, flattering voice gushed. The blue hedgehog quickly shook himself of his despair. Desiring to avoid a repeat of his waitress' overdone display of promiscuity, Sonic snatched the cool metal platter from her hands with a smile before she had a chance to stoop down.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said brightly. Even Big the Cat would've been able to see through his outward show. But the waitress put on a seductive smile, one that obviously wasn't working on the hedgehog, and strutted away from him, trying to display every natural and unnatural curve possible.

Sonic sighed, shaking his spiky blue head, and turned to his dinner. Eagerly, he picked up the chilidog, trying to avoid thinking about the fact that eerie six-legged insects buzzed around him and that the chilidog looked like its mother was the sewer. He took a giant bite into the imitation of his favorite food and tactlessly gagged.

Sonic Special? _What a disgrace!_ The chili's acidic flavor burned his throat, and the rock hard raw pork rested like a frozen log upon his tongue until he gargled down the remains.

_The flies can have it_, he grunted, standing abruptly from his booth,_ I can't take this anymore_. A wave of sickness- -something that could render Sonic useless more than the perfume ever could- -suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks, and he fell back into his seat.

_Not again._

Several pairs of eyes bore holes through him, and he wished he could ward them off like the flies. Feebly climbing up from his seat, he sped off to the safest place that crossed his mind, Tails' workshop in Mystic Ruins.

Immediately, he headed for the bathroom, firmly locking the door behind him. After Sonic flipped on the sink and the creaky air conditioning that Tails had somehow never bothered to fix, another wave of sickness much stronger than before hit him. The effects were far more brutal as Sonic keeled over the bathroom's toilet and let the return of the chilidog's rancid flavor come back much more powerful.

All the while, his throat screamed at him in pain, begging him to stop this burning sensation that was continuously scalding it. However, Sonic was frozen to his spot, knees bent, back arched, mouth opened like a shark. A gloved hand squeezed the side of the bowl as if enough force on the object could get him to cease this despicable process. His breath would falter, paling him instead of reddening his face, and his tongue was stuck to the bottom of his mouth, drowning in gastric acid.

_Must stop...c-can't stop..._

He heaved and heaved in repetitive rhythm with his stomach, the chilidog's filthy remains spilling out in front him, as the droning of the ventilation masked the spastic garglings of the hedgehog.

Why couldn't he stop?

This had been happening every time he ate a chilidog, and he just couldn't control it. He was helpless, utterly vulnerable. Did chilidogs suddenly hate him? Because no matter how he had tried to conquer it by, stupidly, eating more chilidogs, the result would always be the same.

Finally, his stomach was at rest and so was the cycle...for a while. Sonic's entire body shuddered violently as he reached for the trigger to hide the evidence of his sickening failure. Succeeding in his small mission, he collapsed on the floor, feeling like a shell of what he once was.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, Sonic managed to muster his little regaining strength to get up. The bathroom stunk of rotten chilidogs and acidic stomach fluids, and the taste, still freshly sordid in his mouth, threatened for more to return. Groggily, he sprayed the small room with cheap air freshener to blend with the pungent odors and stumbled over to the sink. He splashed himself repeatedly with its running water and attempted to look somewhat decent for the outside world.

He scowled at his reflection; he still looked like a ghost trying to imitate Shadow's dismal countenance.

Because his ears grew weary of the ventilation's constant whining, Sonic switched it off as well as the sink before heading out.

A nice brisk run could shake things off. After all, it worked in the past. Why not now? However, before Sonic could even get out of the house, he was met with a furry surprise.

"Oh, Tails! You didn't tell me you were here this whole time!" Sonic yelped in panic, jumping back from the collision.

"I just came home," the fox responded flatly. Sonic peered over him and found that he had just literally come through the front door. Then his eyes trailed down to the real predicament.

"...What are you wearing?" Sonic inquired. Tails shifted uneasily in his marshmallow-looking outfit, which billowed fuzzy garments ranging from fake leopard print to real sheepskins.

"It's cold outside," the fox mumbled, avoiding Sonic's amused gaze.

"Yeah, but you're a fox!" Sonic said, "Shouldn't you already have a bunch of natural furry layers as it is?"

"...I don't like the cold."

He chuckled openly, deciding to give his little bro a break. "Well, I was just about to go out for a run. It might be a few. Catch ya on the flip side, buddy!" he said, swinging an overly enthusiastic fist and edging ever so slowly towards the door.

Tails spun around to face Sonic with a smile. "Well, in that case, how about we go out for some chilidogs? We've rarely talked this week, and there're some things I'd like to discuss." Sonic's face immediately dropped along with his stomach and, paling rapidly, he staggered back against the wall.

"Ugh...no...just no..." he groaned. Tails who was once cheerful became quite concerned.

"Are you okay, Sonic?" the fox asked worriedly as the blue hedgehog tried to gain a hold of himself. Tails' eyes then narrowed in suspicion. "Does this have to do with Amy?"

Sonic felt himself about to go into another sickness spiral. Was Tails _trying_ to get him to puke?

"I just went by her apartment, y'know. We could go back there again, so you could apologize," Tails innocently added, his eyes avoiding the blue hedgehog in an almost mischievous manner.

Sonic forced a glare at his little brother. "It wasn't my fault," he wheezed.

"Really? How so?" the fox pressed, but when the blue hedgehog obstinately swiveled his head the other way, he continued, "It doesn't matter what you did or how you did it, but you must at least apologize-!"

Sonic scoffed. "Absolutely not."

"And why not?" Tails asked, his voice increasing in volume and irritation.

"'Cause you apologized _for _me, lil' bro! That's why you came by her apartment today, right?" Sonic shot back smugly.

Tails blinked, at a loss for words.

Then the hedgehog's little brother sighed and walked further into the house. "Fine then, I guess you don't want to help out with fighting ol' Egghead."

Much to the fox's joy, Sonic immediately perked up. "Say what about ol' Egghead?" he questioned keenly. The fox shrugged in a haphazard manner.

"I mean that you won't be able to fight ol' Egghead this time 'cause, y'know, _Amy's_ helping," he said casually, his eyes averting Sonic's gaze. His slow stroll was met stride by stride by the blue hedgehog.

"Well, that doesn't mean I can't help out, Tails. Besides, it's usually just you and me fighting against Eggman. Why can't we do that now?" Sonic offered, reaching out his hands generously.

"Uh, you know. Reasons," Tails answered vaguely, "Knuckles, Shadow, and Rouge are also helping out, too, so I think you can take a rain check on this adventure." Instantly, the fox was cut off from his path. Tails felt the urge to grin.

"Look, no matter how many socially awkward situations I'm handling at the moment, I _will_ fight against the evil Dr. Eggman from performing his villainy plans on the world. After all, it is the fate of the world we're talking about, Tails," Sonic declared.

Tails rolled his eyes, using his best impression of being agitated. "All right, _fine then_, if it's for the fate of the _world_," he drawled unrealistically, causing his big bro to smile, "But, seriously, you gotta promise that you won't do anything stupid in front of Amy."

Sonic smirked and gave his little brother a thumbs-up. "Do I ever?" he chuckled arrogantly. Tails rolled his azure eyes flamboyantly once again in both mock and real annoyance. Getting to him was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

"And Tails?"

"Hmm?"

"Lose the winter coats. We're inside now."

"Oh. Okay."

* * *

**If you didn't notice by now, this is kind of a really late Christmas story. Guess this is your healthy dose of Christmas in the middle of spring! So anyway, read, review, comment, criticize...any feedback is truly helpful, especially constructive criticism. Thanks!**

**-JD**


	3. It's a Hedgehog Thing

**Thanks so much PoeticLover1996, SunsetBreeze7x, rainmakesmehappy, GummyGal, ShinyShiny9, and luckyleafs for reviewing the last chapters and for the rest of you for following/faving! **

"Please?"

"No."

"Oh, c'mon, lil' bro, I'll promise to never ever touch your inventions without your permission, and I'll keep the chilidog-smacking to a minimum!"

"...no," Tails muttered adamantly. He had to think about that one.

Sonic groaned and threw his head back, knowing that that compromise was the easiest one he would've ever had to make.

"But, Tails, we don't need them. They could all die in a hole and we'd be just fine against Egghead. I don't see why they're so important now," he complained from the couch, almost to the point of whining.

Tails cringed at a piece of bubblegum stuck to the floor and had to forcibly pry it off the carpet with pliers. His workshop's basement was filthier than he thought, consisting of wrappers of all kinds strewn across the pepper and salt carpet and daddy-long-legs clinging to his rusty old tools. It made it worse that the room was so large because there were more and more things to hide from the guests.

"Forget that, Sonic, they're coming in _ten minutes_! We can't have them coming to a dump like this!" the fox stressed, grasping the vacuum and hastily cleaning up the floor. With a rectangular video game controller in both hands, Sonic lifted his feet off the ground as the cleaning contraption flew by him.

"Y'know, what I don't get is why you invited them here. There are billions of places to meet up that are probably far neater than here," Sonic inserted idly. Tails stopped in his tracks only to unplug the vacuum cleaner and empty it out.

Yesterday, the fox had scheduled the meeting for today, thinking that tidying up the place wouldn't be so bad. Boy, was he wrong. It had taken Tails ages to find Sonic on his daily run, and he had dragged him back here in the basement to help clean. Of course, with an attention span as microscopic as a protozoan, Sonic had resorted to playing Super Mario Brothers on the NES while the fox had been doing most of the grunt work.

"Well, it would go by much faster if you were helping!" Tails chimed in, feigning glee, as he picked candy wrappers off the TV. "Man, I can't believe we're such sugar junkies," he murmured dubiously under his breath.

"Well, we wouldn't have to be doing this if you hadn't allowed them to tag along on our adventure in the first place!" Sonic shot back just as cheerily, frowning when he lost another life on the game. "Honestly, the only person you really need is me. I mean, if I wasn't there, you guys would explode and die in a hole."

Concluding that the phrase 'dying in a hole' was a hedgehog thing, Tails said, "But really, it's not my fault that this place is such a mess."

"So what, you're saying it's _my _fault?!" Sonic spat incredulously, "Nuh uh, who's the one that's here the most? And who sheds their stinking fur everywhere?"

"I do not shed!" Tails barked.

"Uh huh," Sonic deadpanned, yanking up a huge clump of yellow and white fur from the couch.

At that minute, the doorbell rang, instantly sending Tails into a disorganized panic and Sonic into a lengthy eye roll. "Sweet Mobius, they're here!" the fox exclaimed, dashing up the steps. "Sonic, please just try and pick up as many things as possible. Pretty please!" When all he received was a lazy backwards thumbs-up from the hedgehog, Tails continued up the stairs and through the hallway until he reached the front door.

Then, smoothing his fur to look as presentable as possible, he swung open the door, releasing a flurry of winter snow. "Hey, guys, glad you came!" he said nervously with a characteristic lopsided smile. The intimidating three figures at his doorstep towered over him and seemed as if they were not all too happy in being there. Tails jerked a thumb behind him. "Everything's in the workshop, so you guys can come on in!"

Humbly, Tails stepped out of the way to allow his three strange visitors through. "Let's make this quick! I've got an Emerald to guard," the ruby red echidna announced as he stomped in, compulsorily removing the snow from his shoes.

"And I would like to get back to stealing it from you, Knuckie," the white bat crooned, receiving a gargled "Rouge!" in return.

Shadow, the black and red hedgehog renowned as the Ultimate Lifeform, followed wordlessly in after the squabbling two, his crimson eyes scanning every item warily.

Tails ducked his head out the door and then turned back into the house. "Hey, uh, did Amy, uh, say anything about coming, or have you seen her?" he asked timidly. The blank stares from the allies gave him a definite answer. "Oh, okay, uh, never mind," Tails added quickly, feeling a sense of concern rise up in him. Where could Amy have gone? He invited her yesterday; he secretly hoped that Sonic wasn't the reason for her absence.

"Uh, where is the workshop anyway?" Tails heard the gruff voice belonging to Knuckles call. The fox winced.

_Stupid, of course they wouldn't know; they've never been in here before! _

"Yeah, s-sorry, I'll show you," Tails stumbled ahead of them, showing them the way downstairs, "I'm sorry if it's a little messy, but the meeting was kind of short notice for _some_ people..."

Knuckles said, wide-eyed, "What are you talking about?"

"If immaculate is what you call messy, then I'd have to call you perfect," Rouge muttered, her sapphire eyes scaling up the spotless white walls of the basement. Tails immediately spun to the blue hedgehog on the couch who was looking as if his position never changed. However, an indistinct wink that was directed towards the fox said otherwise.

"So what is this all about?" Shadow addressed Tails, the hedgehog's expression grim.

"What else, Shads? Eggman's on the loose," Sonic interjected calmly from his spot, "Probably with a new invention to boot."

Knuckles drawled slowly, "If it's just typical Eggman, then what's all the fuss? Why are we needed?"

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner," Sonic mumbled sarcastically, obtaining a heated growl from the echidna.

The fox's entire frame tensed up, preparing himself for the imminent argument until the ringing of the doorbell reached his large ears. "Oh, good," Tails breathed in thanks, "I'll get it!" He bounded up the stairs a little too enthusiastically and arrived to open the door, revealing the first smiling face to turn up at the meeting. "Amy!"

"Hey, Tails!" the cheerful voice said, muffled from the stack of goodies she was carrying. Her stylish winter coat was hauling a mound of snow on her shoulders, and her funky pink hairstyle collected the other snowflakes. She promptly marched into the house, carefully balancing the treats in her arms.

"Uh, need help with those?" the fox inquired, fiddling with his hands in worry.

Amy mumbled assuredly, "No I'm fine. I just thought I could take advantage of this time and give my Christmas treats to my hard-to-get-to friends."

Tails grinned; being an average socially awkward kid, he was real glad that she was here.

"Hey, guys, I brought Christmas treats for you!" she proclaimed optimistically into the basement. The reaction among the four downstairs was surprising if not comical.

Knuckles and Rouge, who had decided to sit down, immediately sprung up from their seats when hearing the sudden decree. Sonic copied the two's move and quirked his eyebrows at the newcomer. Shadow had remained standing and turned a devilish scarlet eye in Amy's direction. Amy, ignoring their rejoinder, bounced over to them with her snacks.

"...Treats, didya say?" Knuckles replied feebly, obviously still recovering from the scare.

"Uh huh!" the pink hedgehog grinned, offering a loaf of banana bread to the echidna, "This is for you!"

Knuckles took the bread tentatively and sniffed it. "Mmm, banana bread," he murmured dreamily as Amy handed Rouge her gift.

"Red velvet cake, huh?" the bat said, eyeing the treat suspiciously, "...Thanks, Pinky."

"And lastly this is for you, Shadow!" Amy announced gleefully and presented a large Swiss roll to the ebony hedgehog, "I know how much you like these! Merry Christmas!" The Ultimate Lifeform accepted the treat but studied it intensely afterwards before taking a small nibble. He then measured his bites fairly to try and show that he was indeed _not_ infatuated with the pastry.

Tails instantly felt the stress fall from his shoulders. Now that everyone had settled down, he could communicate Eggman's manipulative plan with confidence.

His azure eyes trailed to the couch, expecting his big blue bro, but he found he wasn't there anymore. Worry struck him until he spotted Sonic, who was acquiring seven full cups of water at the water cooler for himself before returning to the meeting circle. The blue hedgehog looked more awake than he did before, fidgeting every so often, but Tails decided to dismiss the action.

Sonic finally came to rest at the very left of the circle, causing Amy to perform an awkward U-turn back to Rouge. Tails let a haggard sigh escape into the sterile air; tension was still high among them.

"So, what's Eggman up to this time?" Rouge asked, coaxing Tails into sitting on the floor amongst the odd circle they had created.

"Well, I...uh...he..." Tails began awkwardly, leaving the others to stare at him save for Sonic chugging his water intensely. "I think it's best to show you rather than tell." This received some atypical looks as the two-tailed fox revealed a small round disc and inserted it in his laptop.

Instantly, the fat man himself appeared on the screen along with maniacal laughter.

"Eggman!" Knuckles growled but was waved into silence from the others as the doctor seemed to be about to speak.

"Oh ho ho ho! Greetings, fools! It's been a while since my last attempt for world domination," the mad scientist chortled sinisterly, "But instead of coming to you this Christmas, I'm inviting you all to spend the holiday with me!"

"What?" Expressions of astonishment emerged among Knuckles, Amy, and even Rouge.

"That's right!" the Eggman assured as if speaking right to them, "My base is at White Acropolis Zone. Meet me there, and I'll give you a Christmas you'll truly remember! MuhahahahahhHHAAHA-!"

The clip cut off the senseless laughter, and stillness filled the room except the sound of swooshing to the water cooler to achieve more water for himself and back from Sonic.

"That's it?!" Amy cried in amazement, and Tails nodded in response, taking the disc out.

"If a fight is what he wants, then a fight is what he'll get!" Knuckles declared, leaping up from his seat with his fists rolling.

"No, it's obviously a trap of some sort, Knucklehead!" Rouge admonished, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Trying to lure us in with our pride or something..."

Shadow stood up from among them and muttered, "I say we go. White Acropolis...sounds familiar..."

"I hear it's chilly up there," Tails said with a shiver, "We'll have to pack tons of winter coats..."

Amy cocked her head in the direction of the two-tailed fox. "Say, Tails, didn't you mention something about an invention you were working on that would help us against Eggman? Do you have it finished?" she wondered aloud. Three pairs of eyes immediately turned to Tails, sending an edgy chill down the fox's spine.

"Uh...yeah...it's not entirely finished though, but we could bring it..." Tails mumbled uneasily.

"Then why doncha' show us then, huh?" Knuckles said, rallying a collective response of approbation. Tails felt a drop of sweat roll down his back and disappear into his golden fur.

"Uh..."

Tails didn't say much else before he was interrupted by a trick of water going down the wrong pipe and the thunderous effects following right after. Sonic- -after his twentieth cup of water- -had proceeded to bend back as far as he could while sitting and coughing, intending to get whatever entered his throat out. Though Tails didn't like to see his big brother in pain, he was grateful for the lucky diversion. It took a couple of minutes for Sonic to finally complete his regurgitation of the water. But he was still mildly shuddering.

"Aw, did the widdle hedgehog choke on the widdle water?" Knuckles teased in his best impression of someone talking to their pet.

"Aw, put a cork in it, Knuckles," Sonic snarled bitterly, a hint of embarrassment flickering across his muzzle.

Tails stood up, relinquishing the chance of anyone asking about his invention. "So," he said, "All approve of going to White Acropolis Zone?" Shadow raised his hand boldly while Knuckles' mitten shot up in the air. Rouge and Amy were a bit hesitant, but they raised their hands as well. Sonic, honestly not knowing what in the world Tails was talking about, lifted his gloved hand along with everyone else's.

"Okay," the fox paused conclusively, "...Does anyone have any objection about leaving now?"

* * *

Sonic heaved a large crate of tools out of the two-tailed fox's official workshop and lugged it on his back towards the group's packing pile. His hands still shook as he gripped his twenty-seventh cup of water. He hadn't meant for this to happen, to have an attraction to drinking the very thing that could kill him. In fact, the blue hedgehog was totally ready for handling his uptight allies at the meeting. However, he wasn't expecting to get such a surprise out of seeing Amy.

When he first caught sight of her, Sonic sensed the repulsive feeling rising in his throat similar to the recent time he ate chilidogs. In other words, he felt like he was going to puke, and he had to stop that fast. Water was the only answer, and he hoped to get by without someone noticing but failed miserably, much to his humiliation. The brief meeting felt like hours to Sonic as every couple of seconds he would steal a glance at Amy only to become more nauseated than before.

Unfortunately, the symptom became more prevalent in his mind because every time he brushed past the pink hedgehog now, it only set off a world of awkward in him, and he would rush to the water cooler to fight the mounting sickness within his throat.

So then he formulated a plan to remain at least two yards away from Amy, which crashed and burned wretchedly when he was forced to help her with a large box. Knuckles and Rouge were already chatting with Tails, and Shadow didn't seem like he would help anytime soon. Assisting her with the other side of the crate, he pulled the box on its way.

Sonic wasn't exactly a muscleman, so every so often the box would slip out of his fingers because of the immense weight, leaving Amy flailing to hold it at times. The chances of this happening increased because of Sonic's incessant endeavors of avoiding eye contact.

_Why, oh why did she pick the largest box to carry? What does Tails have in this box anyway? His plane? _Sonic grumbled as he half-dragged the package, his arms gradually feeling like limp noodles. The blue hedgehog at first tried to turn his eyes to their destination, but every time he heard a helpless grunt of surprise, his gaze immediately darted to the source of it in a rare flash of concern. But then he would thoroughly remind himself of his mission, making him perform a cross-eyed expression to evade looking at her, which was totally not cool. Therefore, he decided to swivel his entire head away from her, allowing her to deal with the bulk of the weight herself.

Sonic's eyes narrowed as they neared the rest of the group. It was decided. He had to tell Tails that she couldn't go. Already he had thrown himself into a panic when he saw her, and they hadn't even begun the adventure! Amy was too much trouble; she was probably acting like this now because of some fangirl idea that would make him fall in love with her anyway.

Though it was painful to admit, he couldn't permit her to come. Otherwise, she would be messing with his head all throughout the quest.

Releasing the weight unceremoniously without a second glance to his partner, Sonic trudged towards the young two-tailed fox. Tails was beaming as he chatted about the propensities people would have towards the far out future to Rouge, Shadow, and a very bewildered Knuckles.

"Uh, hey, lil' buddy, can I talk to ya 'bout somethin'?" Sonic inquired, noticing Amy join the group out of the corner of his eye. The blue hedgehog had meant the question to be inaudible to everyone but Tails, but life had a way of ruining his plans.

"C'mon, spinebrain, it can't be somethin' that we can't hear," Knuckles slurred, jumping on the chance of changing to a subject he actually enjoyed. Sonic directed a fiery glare towards the echidna but said nothing.

"Hey, it's all right, guys. I need to talk to Sonic alone anyway," Tails broke in with candor and followed the hedgehog to a safe place in the basement. Sonic scratched the back of his neck ineptly when he reached Tails.

"Uh, Tails...I..." Sonic began cautiously, but he was suddenly enveloped in a heap of daisy yellow fuzz.

"Sonic, thanks a lot!" Tails said joyfully, clinging on to his big bro, "I thought you were gonna be a huge pain in this meeting, but you really showed me up! Y'know, you're gonna be the first one to see my invention when it's finished, okay?"

The blue hedgehog shrugged haphazardly, "Uh...sure."

"Awesome!" the fox said, hopping back with delight. "So what were you going to tell me about?"

Sonic's eyes widened. "I..." he began impractically, "...just wanted to say that you're the best little bro there is!" The blue hero then yanked Tails into an old-fashioned noogie while the fox squealed and twisted to escape the grinding of Sonic's fist. Finally, the hedgehog let him go, and the fox's two tails and bangs stuck out from the static as he wiped a lone tear from his eye.

"Yeah...you're the best big brother...ever," Tails panted between sniggers.

Sonic assumed his trademark smirk as his best friend teetered past him, but when the fox could no longer see his face, the blue hedgehog's smile instantly disappeared into a mix of anxiety and frustration.

For now, he would just have to deal with the irrepressible sensations he got around his pink acquaintance and save the world from Eggman. After all, he was Sonic the Hedgehog. However, an excruciatingly small voice in his head whispered that it just may not be enough.

**And so the adventure begins! Action will soon come into this and play a big part in the plot, don't worry. Anyway, read, review, comment, criticize...any kind of review would truly be nice, even from those who are just following. Thanks!**

**-JD**


	4. Winter Wasteland

**Thank you werewolf lover99, GummyGal, luckyleafs, ShinyShiny9, rainmakesmehappy, and PoeticLover1996 for reviewing the last chapters and the rest of you for following/faving. And there will be no fan-characters or original characters in this story. Only canon.**

If there was another zone whose weather was more accustomed to winter than this one, it would have to be Antarctica. This special land was particularly uninhabited by people and dominated by winter year-round. The snowflakes cascading down there were as common as breathing; rumor had it that no had ever seen the ground without snow. Every blizzard occurring in the world always managed to touch this area, creating an insurmountable total of snow that never disappeared. Tons of mountain peaks soared majestically in the land, never ceasing to reach the overcast pearly heavens above, while evergreens dotted the uneven landscape. Since the year finally arrived to its infamous chilly season, every aspect of the cold in the zone was intensified and multiplied by infinity. Thus, White Acropolis in all its beauty.

At first glance, one wouldn't see a thing from the work of the unremitting snow pouring down. Howls of the wind made quick work in deafening everything else, and the brutal chill put up a challenge that no one dared to attempt. It was the ideal place to secretly maintain the inner workings of an evil genius. This was Dr. Eggman's domain, stretching all across the outsized zone.

The fat man himself was working inside his base in his open office, fingering a stuffed animal that had the appearance of his nemesis Sonic. Sloppy Christmas decor and blueprints were plastered all over the working space in a very chaotic style; yet to him, everything was perfect, soundly organized. All was quiet in his office as he gazed out at the wintry weather longingly. "Soon," he faintly muttered.

"What's soon?" a small, circular red robot clad in Santa gear asked, bouncing to the doctor. Eggman turned his chubby head to meet the robot's blank stare and dropped the Sonic toy. The robot quaked, feeling the growing passionate glare behind the doctor's round navy blue glasses, and it watched helplessly as Eggman's lips worked their way apart and revealed gleaming white teeth.

"I thought I told you to stay out of here, Orbot," the madman seethed fiercely, "Don't you remember what happened to your idiotic quadrangle companion?" Orbot shuddered; when Dr. Eggman finally snapped at the fact he couldn't fix Cubot's voice chip, it wasn't pretty.

"But sir, I would like to inform you that the video you made was delivered to the fox successfully," Orbot reported mechanically. The doctor relaxed visibly at this and chuckled. "I don't really understand why you sent that video, sir," the lackey continued, "Why did you notify them of our location? I thought you wanted the element of surprise."

"You don't think, Orbot; you only process," Eggman said, waving a hand, "And I still have the element of surprise. This zone is vast, and the snow will disguise the base and prevent them from finding it sooner than I would like."

Orbot nodded at the word 'them'. "I'm surprised at how calm you are about this plan," the robot said, "Didn't the hedgehog foil your plans no matter how carefully designed they were? Like when you split open the earth? Or when you tried to enslave the alien race of Wisps? Or perhaps when you used the Time Ea-"

Dr. Eggman slammed a gloved fist brutally on the table, interrupting his minion. "You don't know anything about my plan," he growled inhumanly, "You're _not _surprised, you have _no_ emotions, and you are a pathetic excuse for an assistant for questioning my motives!" Orbot leaped off just in time before Eggman swept a merciless arm over the surface, sending the rest of the objects scattering off the table. "I'm playing a game with him, Orbot! A _game_!" he roared.

"Him? You mean the-"

"-That snarky blue rodent! Yes!" Eggman cried in frustration, "It's always been about him, Orbot! Always!"

The Santa robot clicked and whirred in its processing. "Then why did you allow his friends to come with him?"

"That's his decision to make, not mine!" the doctor bellowed, astonished at his creation's incompetence.

Eggman's vicious temper then vanished, his eyes studious and resolute. "It's always been about that hedgehog, Orbot," he rambled in his thoughts, "From the start, he had been ruining my attempts to rule the world how I wanted it to be ruled. He was only eight years old, and he still beat me! Seven years later, he's still thwarting my plans. You would think by now that I could've defeated him."

"Yes, I do thi-" Orbot cut himself off in fear of his boss.

Eggman continued to reflect, rubbing his finger against his temple in thought.

"A grown man with an IQ of 300 fighting a teenage supersonic hedgehog. Wouldn't my smarts balance out his speed, Orbot?" the doctor said, turning to the red robot. His glasses glinted deviously as his minion took the concept 'gears turning in one's head' to its fullest meaning.

"Well, you forgot to factor your weight into the equation, sir. It sure would make some difference in chasing after a speedy blue hedgehog," Orbot added unhelpfully.

Dr. Eggman instantly scowled. "I never forget _any_ factors, you daft, inept idiot of a machine!" he shouted, jumping up and attempting to stomp on the little cretin, "Now get out of here before I dismantle you like I did the last robot!" Orbot let out a sound similar to a yelp and sprung out of the room as fast as a robot his size could.

Eggman sighed and returned to his seat while twisting his auburn moustache. Shifting his gaze to the Sonic plushie, he grasped the blue toy with a vice-like grip.

"No one understands but you and me," he snarled, a crazy grin growing, "You were the one who stood up against me first. You're the one who continues to fight. You've made a big name for yourself, and you're expected to save the world again. But what everyone always seem to overlook about you that we both fully know is that you are still _only_ a young hedgehog."

* * *

"Are we there yet?" a voice called over the howling wind.

"No, so shut up, you red buffoon," Shadow coolly shot back from the wing.

Knuckles, the owner of the voice as well as the 'red buffoon,' broke his gaze at Shadow and sighed impatiently. The blue hedgehog next to him gave him a sympathetic smirk.

"Sorry, Knux, but you can never annoy Shadow the way I can," Sonic boasted, "Another one for me." He slid a gloved finger through the powdery snow collecting on the plane wing to create another tally mark. Knuckles grimaced at the display.

"I'm not playing a game with you," he grumbled, attempting to look straight ahead.

"Yeah, but if we were, I'd be winning," the blue hero said smugly. He tried to shift his crouched position, but his feet slipped off the wing, causing him to nearly fly away. His hands shot to the edge of the wing, and slowly but surely, he eased himself back on the plane. Finally getting his balance back, he shook his head.

"Stupid slick plane."

The group had wasted no time in packing up and leaving, and they were off in Tails' biplane in a total of thirty minutes. They had just entered the infamous White Acropolis Zone and were now faced with a nasty blizzard that had seemed to come out of nowhere.

The blue hedgehog could barely keep his eyes open as they studied the mode of transportation once more. Sonic was still quite dumbfounded how Tails managed to fit everyone on the plane plus some of the workshop's luggage. When the group had encountered this problem, Tails simply installed two extra seats in the Tornado for Amy and Rouge while stuffing the crates behind them. Obviously he couldn't make room for more seats regarding the fact that they would be dangerously close to the engine. That left Shadow, Knuckles, and Sonic to hold their ground on the wings; Sonic and Knuckles shared the right wing while the left one was all Shadow's, which didn't make sense to the blue hedgehog since it was practically his plane in the first place.

Normally, the blue hero would be perfectly comfortable standing atop the aircraft's wings, but in this biting subzero weather, it took all his energy to fight the whipping wind. He felt his hands progressively growing numb as they loosened their grip on the plane. Sonic usually acclimated to extreme conditions and was able to endure them, but now he was starting to regret not wearing anything except his gloves, trademark shoes, and the fur on his back. His emerald eyes shifted to the two hazy figures squatting down at his level, almost indistinguishable in the swirling cloud of white; Shadow and Knuckles were probably thinking the same thing. The wind repressed Sonic and forced his head to turn sideways. The snow pelting his matted fur could've made him a snowhog if the plane wasn't moving.

Worry crept into Sonic's mind as he honed into his senses, feeling the plane bob every so often in this tumultuous storm. The periodic hum of the plane's engine rumbled in his ears as it fought against the sheets of sleet. When he managed to conquer the powerful air currents for a fleeting moment, all that was to be seen ahead was pure white, not even shadows of oncoming objects.

"Sheesh, how can Tails pilot this plane if we can't see anything? Sooner or later, he might crash into a mountain," Sonic mumbled restlessly with a lone hand to shield himself from the snowflakes, "How far do you think we have to go, Knux?"

"That's what I've been saying!" the red echidna said bitterly, "I just can't wait until we land so we can ambush Eggman's base and I can wring his neck!"

The blue hedgehog hesitated at agreement, his eyes trailing back to the sea of white ahead. The frigid air had begun to freeze his nose after continuously attacking it and had invaded his quills, reaching to the very base level of down fur that warmed him. If this is what the weather was like up here, then landing down at ground zero would be an absolute nightmare.

"I don't know about you, but I feel like my tail is gonna freeze off," Sonic said, achieving a shaky laugh from his companion.

"Yeah, I was expecting something along the lines of cold, but I never imagined it to be this bad," Knuckles concurred unsteadily and then paused, "White Acropolis...do you know anything about this zone?"

"Uh, it's extremely cold," Sonic shot back teasingly. He stopped to truly think for a moment. "Yeah, the name does sound familiar, and the map of it is gigantic. Hidden, huge, and dreadfully chilly. Yep, definitely like Eggman."

The red echidna nodded in understanding but didn't say a word. Taking this as an invitation to continue the conversation, Sonic asked, "Do you know what Tails said about when we get there? Y'know, wherever 'there' is?"

The Guardian remained silent, his eyes distant, and Sonic could picture the wheels turning in the echidna's head. "Yeah, I think he mentioned about landing it sometime on somewhere safe...sometime," Knuckles muttered dimly, "Something like that."

Sonic chuckled, and his ear twitched in amusement. "So he _told_ you and you forgot what he said? You're an amazing listener, Knuckie."

In response, the red echidna threw a careless fist not really meant to damage which the hedgehog dodged quickly. Knuckles was intent on resting slowly back into place, but the Guardian's feet flew out from under him and sent him scattering off the wing. Sonic, with one hand on the front of the wing, snatched the echidna's arm before he was caught in the turbulence.

"Rash and a terrible listener. Man, you've got some serious thrill issues," Sonic said mockingly as he pulled his companion back onto the plane.

Knuckles scoffed and grasped onto the wing more tightly, still shuddering from fear and the cold. "L-like you're one to t-talk," he stammered through chattering teeth.

Sonic let out a piercing, pleasant laugh, the blistering air slithering down his throat. "Guess you got me there," he added breathlessly, "Especially the thrill issues."

"I bet you enjoyed that scene, didncha?" Knuckles growled diffidently, his quaking still causing Sonic to suppress another fit of laughter, "Of course you did, you deranged hog."

The blue hedgehog shrugged, a smile playing on his muzzle. "What can I say? Action and adventure are my thing. I can't wait around for long unless something fun happens. That's why I love fighting ol' Egghead. The thrill's what I live for," he said, tilting his head up to clash the strong air currents.

"So you don't love fighting Eggman 'cause you love helping people, saving the world, and all that good stuff?" Knuckles grinned, a slanted, frosty red eyebrow raised. The blue traveler next to him punched Knuckles' arm.

"Don't twist my words, knucklehead; I never said that," the hedgehog warned lightheartedly, his smile broadening, "But I'm an adventurer at heart, always travelling the world to see what's next and new. I won't let anything tie me down from doing what I want!"

Knuckles smirked, "Any_one_ as well?"

Sonic nodded fervently in response. "I've never let Eggman hold me down for long. 'Sides, no one can ever keep up with me. I'll leave everyone in the dust."

"But what if the doctor comes out with a laser cannon and starts pickin' everyone off one by one. Then would you go back to the dust?" Knuckles said sagely, getting an indignant scoff as a reply.

"Are you kidding me, Knux? Eggman's a fat mad scientist, not a serial killer. No one's gonna be picked off. At least, not when I'm around," Sonic chuckled haughtily, jabbing a thumb into his own chest, "When you were falling, I was there. I mean really, if you're around me, you're guaranteed to be safe!"

As if on cue, something flew right over the two in a green flare, and the plane jolted unexpectedly as the fiery thing collided into the tail of the aircraft. Giant flames exploded out of the damage, instantly catching fuel and enlarging.

"Everyone, brace yourselves! We're hit!" Tails yelled from the pilot's seat over the screeching wind. Shaken out of their stupor, Sonic and Knuckles at once clung to the wing for dear life as the plane spun from the hit and fell into a chaotic, spinning nosedive, causing everything around it to look like a wild blur.

"Is _this_ going to satisfy your thrill issues?" Knuckles managed to holler over the deafening clamor. Sonic could say nothing, rigidly frozen in his spot, as the plane spiraled into the chasm of a winter wasteland without a clue of what would be down there.

**And so things literally start to go downhill! Read, review, favorite, follow, criticize, and thanks for reading the story so far!**

**-JD**


	5. For Just a Second

**Thank you werewolf lover99, GummyGal, and PoeticLover1996 for reviewing and the rest of you for following/faving. All of the characters in this story have been introduced, so let the action begin!**

Blurs. That was all Sonic could see at the moment. Funny, he was supposed to be used to it.

Right now, that wasn't the case as the blue hedgehog clung fearfully to the freezing metal wing of the plane in order to avoid getting one of his limbs severed. Spines flew in his face, blinding him from seeing anything, thanks to the plane's downward spiral. At this point, he didn't know which way was up and which way was down. He feared that if he even tried jumping, he would be crushed by the plane's G-force and colossal weight.

Snow sliced the air he breathed, causing him to snort breaths through his nose. The whine of the aircraft's damaged engine combined with the deadly roaring wind deafened Sonic's ears completely, making it seem as if he was watching a blurry silent horror movie in color.

His heart rate increased rapidly. He had to get out of here, fast.

A thud interrupted him from his thoughts, and he cocked his head down just enough to view a dark black and red hedgehog resting on the body of the plane. _Shadow?_ The figure offered his hand and seemed to mutter something to him, but it was successfully drowned out by everything else going on. The echidna next to Sonic gladly clasped onto the Ultimate Lifeform's gloved hand and was pulled safely down. Sonic, on the other hand, turned his stubborn blue head away from Shadow, and the two disappeared in the blur of Sonic's vision from the spinning Tornado.

How did Shadow manage to keep balance on a spinning plane and save someone already? Being the Ultimate Lifeform simply wasn't enough of an answer to convince Sonic; if Shadow could do it, so could he. As if on cue, everything seemed to slow down as Sonic tuned into his senses. He could match if not top the speed of the rotating machine. With his eyes wide open and aware to every moment, Sonic spotted obscure figures still on the aircraft.

Then, timing his plan so that the plane would be right side up, the blue hero sprung towards the body of the aircraft, twisting himself to avoid the wings hurtling at him. Since the mode of transportation was dropping forward, the hedgehog was smacked mercilessly into the tail of the plane, dazing the hero.

He couldn't stay like that for too long though. Heat scorched Sonic's back so much that he turned his head back but immediately wished he didn't. Flames licked at his quills from the raging fire on the plane, and he firmly believed that the soles of his sneakers were melting off. The plane flipped upside down and right side up in a matter of milliseconds, messing with Sonic's vision once more as he attempted to scoot away from the expanding danger.

_That was a stupid move_, he scolded himself, _Why am I even on here? I should just jump off and-_. He cut off mid-sentence as his answer rested on the plane five feet out of his reach. A mess of pink quills whipped ruthlessly by the wind caught his gaze. The object of interest firmly held onto the cockpit without another person in sight. Finally the pink blur lifted its head to notice Sonic and stared at him with pleading jade eyes.

_Amy_. With rigid determination, the blue hedgehog inched towards her while being bombarded by heat and chill.

Poor girl, she must've been left behind by Tails and Rouge; either that, or they tried to pull her out but couldn't. He stretched his hand in her direction, and she took it willingly, her eyes boring into him.

Instantly, a timer was set in Sonic's head, and he watched the plane flip them over and over. _Alright...now!_ Just as the machine spun up on the right side, the blue hedgehog's grip on Amy became tighter as he yanked her up in his arms and leapt off the plane.

Right on time, too. Sonic eyed the aircraft and watched it crash and brutally scale down a rugged mountain.

Turning his head down, Sonic's heart thudded rapidly, his eyes dilating as he began gaining greater speed towards what looked like white nothingness.

He was fearful; he admitted it, but it wasn't because he might be plummeting to his near-death with the person he just saved. It was because that _specific_ person was snuggling into his tan chest, a smile growing on her face.

His stomach churned, and his throat was flooding with stomach acids. Goodness, the symptoms were returning. Why, oh, why did _he_ have to save her? The blue hedgehog felt as if he was about to barf his entire insides out on the pink one; perhaps that would actually make her stop. _It probably wouldn't_, Sonic contradicted bitterly. In fact, he would've dropped her if it weren't for the current circumstances. On top of his sickness and disgust, her affection made him feel...awful.

Sweet Mobius, how far until he reached the ground?

Speaking of which, spiky gray rocks that looked like ground zero appeared in Sonic's line of sight unexpectedly. If not for his thoughts, he would've been prepared for it. Still, the blue hero managed to land on the side of the mountain quite painfully. His legs twisted out in an agonizing direction, and after a couple of seconds on his quaking ankles, he fell unceremoniously on his cobalt bum.

Luckily, Amy wasn't injured as she bounced off of him with glee. Sonic's muzzle heated up as he tried to recover from his symptoms; she was probably in one of her fangirl moments because of what he was forced to do.

"Wh-where are we?" asked a familiar, flabbergasted voice.

The blue hedgehog immediately scampered up as a red echidna walked over to him, holding his head. "Knux, you're okay!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Of course he's okay," said Shadow, the grim hedgehog following after Knuckles, "I saved him after all."

Before Sonic could utter a biting remark as cold as the wind, Tails screeched, "My plane!" The two-tailed fox stared in horror at his prized aircraft, now buried in about fifty feet of snow. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished by the wind, but the machine had sustained some heavy damage, the tail being entirely burned off and the nose being smashed viciously into the cockpit. Sonic winced for his little brother's sake. That plane wouldn't be flying anytime soon.

"It seems that the luggage is still in okay condition though," Rouge quipped, finally appearing on the scene with what she mentioned. Sonic scoffed. Where were they at the time he was forced to save Amy?

Speaking of his creepy fangirl, she flicked up her coat collar and shivered. "S-so, what are we going to d-do now?" Amy asked slowly.

Naturally, the blue hedgehog was about to answer with a laugh and a haughty answer until an enormous gust of wind nearly blew him off his feet. It succeeded in tripping him up, and he plopped face-first into the snow. Sonic attempted to get up and dig his face out of the snow, but his hands sunk into the white blanket as if it were a sponge.

It was becoming an annoying process, and he opened his mouth in frustration, which soon became a bad idea. Shovelfuls of snow filled the new opening, and finally, Sonic flipped himself over on his back to gag it all out. Snow was ice, which technically was frozen water, and now he declared it was his second-worst enemy.

Sonic growled angrily and swiveled his head to view the landscape. If that was the case, then he was in enemy domain. There was nothing to be seen except sinking snow and colossal mountains. The blizzard made ground zero a crazy arctic mess. The blue hedgehog raised his hand to run it through his quills but realized that it refused to move; it was numb, completely unresponsive.

Sonic mumbled, "We need to find shelter." The others nodded at his statement.

"But where?" Knuckles asked, his eyes, too, searching for refuge amongst the storm.

Tails, almost hidden in his five layers of winter coats, squinted his eyes as well and muttered, "I don't know, but w-we better find it quick. We can't l-last long out here forever."

"If worse came to worst, then I guess we can bury ourselves in the snow," Rouge mused thoughtfully, "After all, the air is below zero, but the snow remains thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit."

Sonic immediately butted in. "N-no, we are _not _doing that," he said, shooting a sideways glance at his new enemy, "That's practically a death sentence."

"Make up your minds, mortals!" Shadow seethed thunderously, crossing his arms in front of his furry white chest. Sonic mirrored the motion, fear beginning to set in.

"Wait, guys, I think I found something!" Amy called excitedly from a good meter out. Everyone rushed over to where she was standing, eager to embrace a safe haven. "Look!" she said and pointed to a glowing light hovering in the distance.

Sonic at once wilted in disappointment, but Tails peered out curiously to inspect the object. "Amy...that...that's not..." he trailed off. Suddenly, his blue eyes widened as the light grew larger, and more shadows started to form. "-Sweet Mobius! It's an att-"

Tails didn't even get the time to spit out the words as the ambush was on them in a nanosecond. Before Sonic himself could react, he was driven into the blanket of snow once again, forced to grapple with his new opponent, who cocked a menacing gun at his face. A feeling of sickness flickered through Sonic's head at the familiar symbol imprinted on his metallic adversary, a picture of the grinning fat man himself.

In frustration, he managed to spin-dash the robot, and it self-destructed before it enabled itself to shoot him. After being given momentary freedom, Sonic's ears perked to the noise around him, the sounds of guns and battle cries. It was amusing how a place so desolate and quiet could erupt with deafening violence. There were tons of Eggman robots sparring with the others, including a very large one that particularly concerned Sonic, but before he had a chance to act, another medium-sized robot barreled into him.

The blue hero felt a smirk tug at his lips. "Sheesh, the fat man doesn't give up, does he?" he asked the robot rhetorically before smashing it into bits with another spin-dash. Sonic then began to pick off lonely stragglers one by one with his Homing Attack. He even tore apart a deadly triple gun-wielding robot about to shoot a pinned Knuckles, at which the echidna shot a grateful look towards him.

"Yo blue boy, up here!" a voice called from above. After narrowly avoiding a collision between two bomb-shaped androids, Sonic shifted his gaze up to the white bat, who was currently fending off five bird-like robots in the freezing air.

The blue hedgehog turned his head towards Tails who was busy fighting off robots as well. He then turned his gaze back to the bat. "Gimme a lift then, Rouge!" Sonic yelled to her. A reluctant, hefty sigh and a 'You're some high maintenance, huh, hon?' were his answers, and he was hauled up off the snowy floor and into the air. A few milliseconds later, one flying robot nearly took out the blue hedgehog's feet.

Sonic yelped in surprise and impatiently asked, "Could ya go a little faster, Rouge?"

"I'm trying, blue boy," the ivory bat snapped irritably, "It's not easy when you suddenly have some dead weight to tow." Sonic almost let a snide comment about her weight slip out of his lips, but luckily, it was held in as a flock of flying robots was headed straight toward him. Enthusiastically, he swung himself at them and delivered a perfect quintuple combo, landing onto another robot, which decided to explode on impact.

Sonic then straightened from his mêlée stance. He smoothed his sharp quills with no trouble and surveyed the battlefield. Knuckles and Tails were handling themselves just fine, tangling up several robots, but Shadow was faced with an overwhelming horde of assailants.

The blue hedgehog grinned deviously and dived back into the fight. He toppled over one robot that Shadow was about to Chaos Spear and took out another behind him.

"Blast it, hedgehog, I can handle myself!" Sonic heard the black hedgehog roar as he diminished Shadow's enemy supply substantially. The blue hero's smirk broadened, and, leaping over Shadow's back, snatched a robot's head clean off before it could be mutilated by the fuming Lifeform.

"You're welcome!" Sonic teased while spinning in mid-air and evading most of the inaccurate gunfire. He seamlessly settled into the snow with a grandiose slide, pushing up the blizzard's excess into the wintry air. He was really getting good at controlling himself around in the snow.

Wait, was he forgetting something? A boom and a small earthquake awakened Sonic, and he spun around to meet the massive robot that lead the surprise attack.

However, the robot's back was facing Sonic; it seemed to be preoccupied with something else. Confusion racked the blue hedgehog until he caught sight of his pink ally underneath the robot's hardy legs. It appeared to be she had fallen, her hammer presently out of her reach and her back against Tails' plane, just then as her large adversary lifted its spiked arm. Sonic didn't know why this kept happening, but Amy had caught sight of him and sent him a call for aid through her helpless jade eyes. And...for just a second...Sonic hesitated.

But a second was all the robot needed when it brought its arm down upon her. Thankfully, Amy was smart enough to try and dodge it, and the robot's attached weapon crushed only a part of her and completely wrecked the side of Tails' plane. Sonic let a giant breath escape from his mouth. He didn't even know he was holding it. The time to act was obvious now as the opponent once again raised its arm.

The blue hedgehog then lunged at it and yelled, "How dare you maul my lil' buddy's plane, you monster!" Curling up into a tight ball in mid-air, Sonic willed himself to spin and raze off the large robot's arms, rendering the machine useless. Then, for good measure, the blue hero invaded the mechanical corpse and totally demolished it from the inside.

He popped out from it and knocked it away so it could self-destruct at a safe distance. Sonic chuckled at the scene and dusted his gloves off, analyzing the heaps of robot shrapnel, until he heard a distressed moan and several voices behind him.

"Ow...this hurts..."

"Hush, hon, we're right here."

"She looks awful."

"Is...is...the battle over?"

"Just don't move...don't get up-!"

A sharp cry echoed throughout the snowy landscape, and Sonic swerved around to see his friends all crowd around Amy. She looked stunned and was holding her shoulder as if it was the source of all her pain. Normally, the blue hero didn't have a faint heart towards results on the battlefield, but the bright crimson that stained the pure white snow made his head throb in an almost irrepressible way.

* * *

Sonic felt his ear twitch impatiently as the hushed, indistinguishable voices droned on their mumbling. The crackling of the smoky campfire provided little warmth as his eyes shifted to Knuckles, who was sitting stiffly on a disembodied robot head. Shadow stood not far off like his usual self, but he kept the situation's dreadful mood with his shoulders tense, much to the blue hero's distaste. Why did everyone have to be so quiet? Couldn't they just shout a bit?

_Live a little, people_, Sonic grumbled in his thoughts, crossing his arms to block the ferocious night wind. Tails finally appeared from the cave, his winter coats pulled up to conceal his mouth. Knuckles immediately jumped up, but the blue hedgehog took a slower pace, eyeing the fox warily.

"Is she-" the red echidna asked.

"Her left shoulder is wholly shattered," Tails muttered listlessly, his blue eyes gazing into the dancing flames. "Rouge and I managed to patch her up and have given her a cast to help her protect it from any more harm."

Knuckles looked lost, not knowing whether to be relieved or shocked, but Shadow put it bluntly, "At least she's not dead." Tails flinched at the statement as the black and red hedgehog continued.

"It's getting late," he spoke, "Find yourselves somewhere to sleep and rest up for the morning." The Ultimate Lifeform then seemed to disappear before their eyes as he melded with the shadows of the cave walls. Knuckles nodded to the order and headed deeper into the small cave half-blocked by the Tornado for his place of rest.

Sonic scoffed as he leaned back to embrace the brisk wind, his emerald eyes reflecting vivaciously off the firelight. They were lucky enough to find the 'cave', the gaping hole in the mountain behind the plane, and they had used it for a medical room for Amy as well as a shelter for all of them. Nearly everything was tucked away into the harmless haven except for the plane, which was shielding them of the nightmare blizzard.

Still, as much as the blue hero liked the warmth, he found himself lingering outside the shelter as if he was trying to challenge the bitter, icy wind. His hands had regained their senses, and he let them uncurl and curl up into fists.

"Sonic," a voice from behind him said. The blue hedgehog twisted back to see none other than his little brother.

"Hey Tails," Sonic said, grinning, "Whatcha doin' out here? The weather's terrible, y'know. You really should stay inside."

The fox pulled his layers of warmth closer to him. "I could say the same to you," he replied icily. Sonic felt his smile drop and his gaze travel to their damaged shield.

"You...you're mad about the plane, arencha?" the blue hedgehog asked sympathetically.

"No," Tails said, stepping forward and placing a reproving finger on the hedgehog's chest, "I'm mad at _you_."

Sonic's face was alit with surprise. "Huh? Whaddaya mean?" He unsteadily backed farther out of the cave's reach, and the harsh wind began to tug at his spines.

Tails followed; his face looked livid without the firelight. "Yeah, I saw you back there just watching," he accused angrily, "Why didn't you save her from getting hurt?"

Instantly, Sonic's stomach lurched at the question, his throat closed up, and his head started to pound as if a hammer was striking it. Not again. "Woah, woah, woah. You're saying her injury is _my fault_?" Sonic sputtered incredulously. "I mean, she let herself get injured, more like. She should've been more careful." He raised his hands in defense, but Tails smacked them away.

"Stop playing games with me!" the two-tailed fox cried in desperation, "Amy nearly got _killed_, Sonic! This is serious! Whatever's bugging you into doing these things, just please tell me-!"

The blue hero cut him off, saying, "Dude, I hesitated for just a second. Can't a hero do that once in a while?"

"Yeah, but not _you_," Tails replied with the utmost loyalty, "You were the closest, and everyone else was too far away. You could've gotten there in time. And this makes me wonder even more so since it was Amy who got hurt. She's our ally and friend, Sonic, even if you really dislike her. Why didn't you save her? Why don't you care about her?"

It was as if his head contained his heartbeat. Faster, faster. And it was getting painful. He furrowed his brow in anger and said, "I did save her, Tails. I beat up the robot before it could inflict any fatal damage on her. What makes you think I don't care about her, huh?"

Tails immediately deadpanned. "Your battle cry against the robot was about the plane."

"_Your_ plane," Sonic countered, "See, I stuck up for you, huh, lil' buddy?" One knowing look was all that it took to get him to let out an angry sigh. "Okay, okay, whatever. I didn't save her in time. Shoot me now," he answered hastily, waving his little brother away in a useless attempt to escape his throbbing head.

"Stop it, stop it with the act!" Tails exclaimed, "I'm tired of hearing your complaints and feeding your ego and letting you break promises that you never intend to keep. What's wrong with you, Sonic?"

The words struck the fox's older brother like dynamite, and Sonic turned to him with a menacing glower, partly from the headache and partly from something else. "N-nothing's wrong with me, Tails," the blue hedgehog replied heatedly.

"Then apologize to her," the fox challenged.

"Why do I have to? Why is this important?" Sonic asked, his voice near the point of whining. The headache showed no sign of letting up, so the hedgehog began to pace determinedly back and forth through the mounting snow.

Tails glared at the blue hero and said, "Well, for starters, you derailed her confidence, and you almost got her killed. Yet you continue to ignore the problem. Why don't you apologize, Sonic? Why are you running away from the pro-"

"She'll take it the wrong way, like think it's a marriage proposal or something, Tails. I know it," the blue hero interrupted, his lime eyes wild, "With her, it's either I completely hate her, or I'm head over heels in love. I can't win, dude! There's no center in the spectrum or middle ground. Don't you know her, Tails? The girl that has chased me obsessively for like five straight years?"

"Well, maybe she's changed over these five straight years! But perhaps you haven't noticed since you're too bogged down in the past to see it!" Tails shouted abruptly.

Silence followed immediately after, enveloped in the howling wind.

The fox looked to smooth out his ruffled fur as Sonic continued to pace. "Look," Tails began, much quieter than his previous remark, "I know that every time you see her you feel this impulse to run and that she had been extremely creepy about her undying love for you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give her a chance to, y'know, get to know her."

The pounding in Sonic's head soon overwhelmed Tails' voice and melded in the noises around him. He clutched his head in agony, his eyes shut in pain and his throat ravaged with sickness. This was killing him. He had to stop this...somehow...some way...it just had to stop!

But Tails was still going on.

"Amy may be difficult to understand, but if we work togeth-"

"Shut up!" Sonic cried, his hands roving to his ears, "Stop talking about her! Just shut up! I don't care about her; she's just another obstacle in my way. I don't like her and I never will! I never asked for the company nor did I ever want it. Everyone hangs on me like baggage! I hate it!...Why can't I ever be alone anymore?" His chest heaved as he plummeted to the snow knee-first, hands still glued to his head and stomach on the verge of pushing out his infirmity. A suppressed snivel caused Sonic to turn around, and his heart dropped at the sight.

Tails curled his fists up into tiny shaking balls as tears froze to his pristine white whiskers. "F-fine, you can be a-alone," the fox answered dejectedly, "...B-baggage...some b-big brother you are."

Tails then hurried back into the warmth of the cave in tears as Sonic remained out there alone, his knees dug into the ground. The fox's exit and his reply to not talk about her were supposed to help him. Yet, why, as he lay there in the weeping wind, did he feel so much worse?

**Goodness, Sonic angst... I guess I apologize for the length of this chapter? But since I posted a shorter one last time, I thought it would be nice to bless you guys with an extra long chapter this time, the longest one so far! Tell me what you enjoyed (and didn't enjoy) about the chapter in a review and tell me which parts were your favorites and why. It would be really appreciated. Thanks!**

**-JD**


	6. Every Christmas Story's Cliche

**Thank you Reader, ShinyShiny9, GummyGal, Christian Wolf99, and PoeticLover1996 for reviewing and the rest of you guys for following/faving! And thanks for the kind words, Reader, since I can't personally thank you via PM. It meant a lot to me. :) Onward!**

The wind whipped Sonic's spines brutally as he stood out in the cold, tapping his foot in impatience.

_Squish. Squish. Squish. _

That sound didn't nearly help him as much as the resounding tap-tap-tapping on solid ground, the only normal sound to him. He needed something normal to grasp on, something typical, in order to fight this sinking feeling in his stomach. Was he about to puke? Not here, he couldn't.

_Squish-squish-squish-squish-squish-_

"Sonic, are you ready?" the steady voice belonging to Shadow called. The black and crimson hedgehog was soon by his side, nearly hidden in White Acropolis's morning flurry. Sonic fought the urge to curl up and shiver next to his companion who was standing tall.

He then shot a rough glare at him.

"Thanks for taking for so long," the blue hero retorted, "I was just about to go on ahead and leave you in the dust. It would've been easy anyway."

"Sure it would've," Shadow responded dryly, almost on the verge of an eye-roll. The two stood in the fifty feet deep snow not far off from the camp, battling the dreadful weather.

Sonic nearly swore as another gust of freezing wind tore at his fur. "Why do we have to be out here?" he said, folding his arms defensively, "Everyone else gets to stay back at camp including Knuckles. That lucky knucklehead..."

The Ultimate Lifeform rolled his eyes. "We're scouting for Eggman's hideout, buffoon," he said bluntly, "Knuckles is providing the defenses back at the camp in case of another ambush, Tails is working on the plane, and Rouge is helping Amy with her injury."

"Yeah, speaking of that, the injury is the only thing that's keeping us from moving ahead," Sonic grumbled, "And this whole 'scouting' thing is pointless 'cause we're gonna have to wait for everyone to heal before we even attack Eggman's base! ...That is, if we even find it!"

Shadow shifted his scarlet-eyed glare at the blue hedgehog. "And if there were no injuries and if we didn't find the Doctor's hideout, then the search would be much slower because of everyone's varying speeds. You wouldn't want to slow down for them, would you?" he countered equally before walking ahead. "And besides, I thought you wanted to get this 'whole scouting thing' started."

The blue hedgehog flicked his ear in resentment. "Of course I do!" he cried. A second of silence passed between the two, enough for Sonic to come up with a well-thought out plan. "I go right. You go left. Ciao!" His legs moved faster and faster as he pulled ahead farther and farther away from Shadow. No noise reached his ears, and the abnormal silence grated on his nerves. Nevertheless, he clung to running.

His only escape.

* * *

"So, you're _sure_ you can keep this whole camp safe?"

"Of course I'm sure, Rouge! How could I not keep it safe?"

"Oh...you know...ways."

"Are you worried about me not defending the camp well because you can't even defend _yourself_?"

"In your dreams, you filthy echidna!"

Amy felt her head sink a little lower from its upright position, and she let out a sigh as she listened to the banter flying back and forth between the two. She fingered her trusty Piko Piko Hammer with her right hand, carefully noting the indentations of the weapon to use effectively in case of another ambush. That is, if she'd be able to fight.

The dropping of her hammer on the cave floor caused the ivory bat supervising her to turn towards the pink hedgehog. "Amy, hon, what's the matter?" asked Rouge with a hint of concern clinging to her silky voice.

The pink hedgehog turned her jade gaze from the bat and back to her hammer. "Nothing," she replied sullenly while further hunching her back. A snicker from the eighteen year old reached her ears and made her want to descend into the floor all the more.

"Oh, _sure_, Pinky," Rouge drawled. "Now look at me and tell me that to my face."

Amy's head wavered from the far right but slowly shifted to glance at the left of her. The body of Rouge came into view and Knuckles and the cave's glowing exit as well. And, last and definitely least, that dreaded cast seizing her left shoulder. The object started to become distorted as clear drops of water blinded her gaze.

The bat's eyes widened at this, and she tilted out her head towards the exit and called, "Hey, knucklehead, why don't you see if Tails needs any help with the plane?"

Knuckles stood at the mouth of the cave, uncertain. "But I'm supposed to guard this cave..."

"Go!" Rouge ordered, her commanding voice sending the echidna out.

She then turned her teal gaze back to the pink hedgehog who was now silently weeping. Her head was firmly fixed away from the bat. Sympathy echoed in Rouge's heart. "Oh, hon..."

"Leave me alone," Amy said as childishly as possible, "I don't want to talk to you."

Rouge ignored the statement and sat down next to the pink Mobian to where she was facing. "Lying is never good for you, hon," she admonished gently, brushing Amy's pink bangs out of her eyes.

Amy stared at the bat with tear-filled jade eyes. "Well, you do it all the time," she mumbled obstinately.

"There are exceptions," Rouge teased, "Now honestly, what's making you this way?" Her pink ally said nothing but glared crossly at the white object upon her shoulder. "...So, it's just the cast."

"Just the cast?!" Amy cried angrily, waving her only mobile arm to emphasize her point, "Thanks to my stupidity, I got myself injured. Now I'm proving myself useless to the whole team because I'm not allowed to move from this stupid cave. I can't even pick up my own hammer and swing it without hurting myself! Why can't I be tough and defend myself just like the other boys?" She then planted her head into her right hand and trained her eyes on the cave wall.

Suddenly, Amy was grasped and was swung around to meet the fiery teal eyes of her companion.

"First of all, hon, don't say you're useless," Rouge said sternly, "I don't want to have to deal with your low self-esteem, and I _especially _don't want you to throw yourself into a selfish rant and say how terrible life is for you in order to get pity. That gets real old, real quick. Do _not _say you're useless, you hear me?"

Amy nodded frantically, mostly from shock. The fire then left Rouge's eyes, and she pulled her hands away from the pink hedgehog's shoulders. "Good. Now, whaddaya think, all women and little girls are defenseless and useless?"

Amy widened her eyes at Rouge's warning gaze, and she waved her hands as if to try and dissipate the insult. "N-no," she said quickly, "It's just that the boys I know always can defend themselves, and they know what they're doing."

"Wrong," Rouge reprimanded skillfully, "The boys _try_ to defend themselves, and they only _act_ like they know what they're doing." When there was no response to counter, the bat continued, "They have the same doubts and troubles as well; they're not invincible. They can cry, and they can make mistakes, too. Amy, I know it's just you and me in this camp of testosterone, but we can handle ourselves just like they can. All we have to do is show it."

With eyebrows knit in thought, Amy tried to grasp the meaning of Rouge's bizarre word choice. "You must know a lot from having to deal with being on a team with Shadow," she muttered thoughtfully, turning her curious gaze to the bat.

Rouge paused for a second. "Well, working with a grim, sarcastic hedgehog and a robot arsonist sure is a challenge," she said contemplatively, "At first, we all couldn't seem to get along the first couple of years as a team. But now, we've figured out our differences and made amends."

She promptly sprung up and strutted to the entrance of the cave. "Making amends with me and using that brain of his are some things Knuckie won't ever do," she shouted, receiving a fuming growl from outside.

Amy giggled and covered her mouth with a gloved hand, trying to suppress a willful smile but failing miserably. Rouge let a nonchalant smirk play on her lips at the sight.

"Welcome back, hon."

* * *

The snow was relentless as it poured down from the skies in never-ending bucketfuls, currently blinding the speedy blue hedgehog on his journey. _Just my luck that I'm running against the wind and all this stinkin' snow_, Sonic thought wretchedly. However, running with it and the snowflakes would only bring him back to the person he ran from, Shadow. And Sonic did not want to see that face again no matter how many snowflakes pierced his skin.

He just needed some time to run. He would get better by the time Eggman showed up, no problem, just as long as this feeling didn't catch him.

He dodged a mound of rock in the nick of time, nearly crashing headfirst into it. Sonic squinted his eyes even further in an useless attempt to identify obstacles through the foggy white ahead. He knew it; ground zero was utterly miserable. He'd rather be at camp...on second thought, he would rather take his chances staying out here 'scouting' for a little while longer.

In his run, he hurdled effortlessly over a twenty by twenty-foot piece of rock. Still, that feat would've been easier with his little brother by his side. The feelings that he had been running from instantly rushed into the blue hedgehog's stomach faster than he was able to cope with, and he actually ducked in his run right before a bar of rock almost took his head off.

What was up with Tails anyway?

Sonic was totally bewildered at how easily the two-tailed fox had accused him and turned on him_. That was the biggest argument we had in years! And it was all about her. _

His speed steadily increased, proving to make the job of avoiding hazards even more difficult. The blue hero's brow deepened in concentration as he tried to grasp the idea of Tails siding with Amy. _How could he?! Sweet Mobius, I'm his big brother! _Sonic racked his brain furiously for the reason. Surely Tails couldn't relate to her-?

Suddenly a thought ran through Sonic's head and out his mouth. "Maybe she's changed...but you're too bogged down in the past to see it..." the blue hedgehog muttered, retelling Tails' words about the pink fangirl. _Is this...am I wrong?_ It took a couple of seconds to sink in, but when it did, anger shot through his veins. "NO!"

Sonic's legs pumped faster and faster in an effort to keep up with the pace of his racing thoughts, nearly tugging at the sound barrier. Obstacles that were lesser than mountains he paid no heed to; they crumbled under the sheer force of his new velocity. _She's changed?! No way! _

Why was it his fault?

He was the hero!

Nothing he could do was wrong...right?

The blue hedgehog felt his limbs lose speed as he felt the feelings pierce his stomach as if he were about to puke. What was he doing? He had to escape this!

Instantly a new thought appeared, more tantalizing and reasonable than all the rest. Sonic mentally slapped himself at his stupidity.

This was all a part of her plan!

Making him the bad guy and her innocent was only part of it. Sonic pushed harder and harder against the barrier until it finally burst, the speeds yanking his face back as he plunged forward. Tails had totally bought it, and now he was trying to make the hedgehog feel sorry for her. He didn't even do anything! All this was to get him to love her, and the sacrifice?

_My freedom_.

Sonic let out a laugh that was unheard until several seconds after.

Never! Never would he give that up, never in his life! Not to Eggman, not to Tails, and especially not to her!

_ I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! Can anything she do hurt me? _Pain screamed through his whole body at this point, begging for him to cease.

"Aggh!" the blue hedgehog cried, finally submitting. He hadn't even realized his eyes were closed until they opened and saw the blue hue around him slowly disappear. Sonic bit his lip as he started to lose his footing. Coming to a full, abrupt stop after breaking the sound barrier was beyond difficult, especially if safety was valued.

Sonic changed his posture feverishly, struggling to keep balance as his feet shot out in multiple directions. His perception skills were worthless at this point as everything around him was still a giant blur of white. He managed to stay up until his foot got hooked onto something. Whatever it was caused his eyes to widen and him to tumble into front flips, a jagged variant of a Sonic spin-dash, at extremely high speeds. Fortunately, this helped slow him down, and it sent Sonic into a nice, large mountain.

Instead of springing back up, the blue hedgehog remained in the heap of snow and mountain, clutching his legs in agony, as the feelings returned and pierced him like icicles. He slammed his fist against the mountainside in anger as a foreign piece of water ran down his cheek.

How much more pain would he have to bear?

How much longer did he have to go on like this?

* * *

"Almost...almost..." Tails said intensely, steadying his shaking, oil-covered hands to the plane's engine. Before he could do anymore, a large wave of black smoke burst out of the machine, enveloping the young fox and his tools.

"Blast it!" he cried, throwing his wrench down into the snow. He fell back onto his furry yellow bum and swept a hand through his long bangs.

Tears bubbled in his eyes as he stared at the tendrils of smoke evaporating into the dark night air of the zone. He shivered and pulled his furry body close to him; he didn't have the heart to wear his winter coats. Not anymore. "Tails, hon, dinner is ready," Rouge called from the cave.

Tails instantly sprang up and wiped the moistness from his eyes. "Coming!" he said, gathering his tools before entering the homey haven. A nice campfire raged inside, casting enormous shadows on the other three figures around it.

"Where are the other two?" the fox asked as indifferently as possible while Knuckles handed a bowl of lettuce soup to him.

Rouge bit a small piece of bread. "Still gone."

The red echidna next to her stretched his back and put his arms behind his head while wearing a mischievous grin. He was probably proud of protecting the cave today, Tails noted. "Yeah, to be out so long for it to get this dark...well, they musta found somethin'!" Knuckles said cheerfully.

The crackling of the campfire continued as Tails turned his head to the pink hedgehog on the left side of Rouge. She looked timid and unsure, but a bright sparkle still danced in her jade eyes as she held her small loaf of bread.

"Any luck with the plane yet, Tails?" Amy asked curiously.

Tails shook his head, trying to hold a smile. "Not this time," he said in a tone that conveyed a better emotion than he was feeling. A dark figure hovering at the entryway cut off any more conversation as everyone stood up from their seats.

"Shadow!" the bat exclaimed with a studious look in her eyes, "Is there anything-"

"Fruitless."

Rouge sank from her excitement, but Knuckles still appeared eager. "And-? Where's Sonic?" he demanded impatiently.

Almost immediately after he said that, the blue hedgehog himself entered into the cave in a rather hasty manner. Studying him closely, Tails noticed right away Sonic's firm, broad brow creasing in what appeared to be anger, the blue hero's eyes hard fragments of emerald. Sonic didn't say a word, which was highly unusual for him, and he walked swiftly to the fire, faltering every so often in his stride.

Rouge offered him a bowl of soup, but Sonic denied her flat out. "So, Sonic, did you find anythin'?" Knuckles asked as if he didn't see the thick wall of tension around the hedgehog.

Tails watched as Sonic clenched his fists, forming them into tight balls.

"No."

"You sure?" Knuckles asked sweetly, following the hedgehog around the campfire.

Sonic's spines bristled- -_a sure sign to stay away_, Tails thought- -and he bluntly answered, "Uh. Huh," still never breaking eye contact with the echidna. The blue hedgehog started to circle the campfire, and Knuckles pursued as if the two were playing some sort of game.

"You really, really sure?" the red echidna said. Sonic turned his body fully towards the Guardian and raised his fist threateningly. Despite the warning, the echidna stepped forward, and the hedgehog clumsily staggered backwards, still maintaining his glower.

"Look, Knux, Knuckie, knucklehead, if you don't get off my case this second I'll-" Sonic cut himself off abruptly as he backed into something warm. The blue hero's eyes shifted to the side, and he then spun around to see that he had actually bumped into Amy, who was wearing her new shoulder cast.

He was about to say something until his eyes trailed up to the ceiling. Her eyes copied the motion.

It was cheap, it wasn't even a real one, but it was there. All the while, Knuckles was in a laughing fit, keeping a giant mitten against the wall to stay up.

"You're under the mistletoe, Sonic!" he cooed between guffaws, "Now you have to kiss Amy! Merry Christmas, you spiky pincushion~!"

Tails watched as Sonic literally said nothing, his eyes flaring with fury, and promptly butted out the cave while Knuckles was still in conniptions. The fox's eyes then flew to Amy, whose head was aimed at the ground and whose small frame drooped back into her seat. Tails spun to Sonic and then to Amy again. Sweet Mobius...Sonic was still his big brother no matter how brainless, stupid, rude, etc. he could get, but Amy...poor Amy...

_Sonic will be fine_, Tails thought, dismissing the idea from his head, _Amy actually needs my help_. The fox rushed to the pink hedgehog and sat down next to her in an attempt to help her out.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly to her.

"Yeah, are you okay, Amy?" Knuckles asked as well in confusion, "I thought you would like that little mistletoe bit. Too bad Sonic wouldn't play along. What a spoil sport." Tails shot a glare at the red echidna and, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Rouge approaching Knuckles with a reproving look pressed on her face. Good, that would provide some distraction for the Guardian.

Once Tails turned his head back to Amy, he found that the pink hedgehog looked back at him. She didn't appear to be as sad as the fox expected her to be, but moistness reigned at the edges of her eyes. "I'll be okay," she whispered consolingly to Tails, "The reminder just kinda hurt a little. That's all."

* * *

The zone itself was plenty peaceful until everyone's favorite blue hedgehog darted out of the cave, grumbling to himself. He continued his flight from the camp until he tripped over a stray piece of rock along the mountainside and fell face down.

"...Stupid snow, stupid camp, stupid Knuckles, stupid life!" Sonic growled, popping his head out of the blanket of snow. The beloved hero leaned against a rather steep mountain in order to twist his right ankle, which was throbbing from earlier. On the bright side, he was lucky not to have shattered any bones in his body after that crash run like most humans would've.

Sonic pressed his right foot down onto the mountain and grimaced when it pulsed with pain. He could run on it, but it wouldn't be easy.

_That was a stupid run, a very stupid idea_, he admitted in his head, falling backwards until the mountain caught him. Now he had an idiotic injury from it. Why, of all people, did he have to be bothered?

The blue hedgehog felt his blood start to boil once again when he remembered the current events that had happened just then. He stood up and ran up top to a more elevated cliff-like edge of the mountain, his eyes fixed heatedly below. He didn't have time for stupidity, especially if it was among his own allies.

Why weren't they more mature?

Sonic's eyes then refocused onto a path much farther ahead that just screamed to be forged. The icy snowflakes pelted him at high speeds, and the wind howled as if imploring him not to pursue the idea he had in mind. But the thought was so tantalizing...almost like chilidogs once were.

_M__aybe...just maybe..._

"Hedgehog."

The dour voice that suddenly burst into the blue hero's thoughts caused Sonic to whirl around and come face to face with his doppelganger. The blue hedgehog automatically willed himself into a scowl, and he said, "What do you want, Shadow?"

He turned his head back to the path ahead of him as the Ultimate Lifeform walked up to him on his side. Still, Sonic could feel the calculating scarlet gaze from his ally, so he sharpened his own eyes.

"And what are you doing out here? Freezing to death isn't exactly one of your plans, am I right?" Shadow stated evenly, his arms folded in his trademark stance.

Sonic waved away the question with a gloved hand. "Go away, Shadow. I never asked for the rhetorical questions or the company. I came out here for a reason, y'know," he muttered crossly, mimicking Shadow's folded arms.

"For that reason, I recognize you're not feeling all quite right," Shadow said. Sonic shifted his glare to him though inside he felt surprised.

"Say what?"

"Anger is not one of your most prominent traits," the black hedgehog said, "Neither are uncertainty and guilt. In short, you're miserable."

The blue hedgehog scoffed at the last remark, in his mind attempting to cool his blazing temper. "Please, try to be a _little_ realistic about this, Shads," he said in a mocking tone, "Sure, I'm kinda angry but it's only 'cause ol' Egghead hasn't shown his Godzilla-ugly face. And the others are definitely not helping me with it. It's like they're _trying_ to get me to snap."

Shadow simply stared at the hedgehog. "You can't keep talking smack forever, Sonic. Soon you're going to have to face it for what it truly is."

Sonic only laughed in response.

"Yeah, the only thing I'm gonna face is that fat, ugly villain named Eggman, and everyone across the world's gonna be grateful for it," he declared effortlessly.

Before Shadow could say another word, the blue hedgehog stretched back into a yawn and said in a sleepy tone, "I'm gonna hit the snow tonight if ya don't mind. It's cute that ya care 'bout me, Shadsies, but I'm fine...Honestly, ya little worry wart. I'm truly fine. G'night!"

Sonic dashed off into a blue blur, leaving the Ultimate Lifeform alone in the midnight flurry. Shadow shook his head resignedly with a bleak look in his eyes as snowflakes rained down.

"That's what they always say, Sonic. That's what they always say."

**Another long chapter! Read, review, and just tell me what you thought about the story, even if you didn't exactly like it. Thanks!**

**-JD**


	7. Sonic Got a Run Over by a Reindeer

**A big thank you to ShinyShiny9, PoeticLover1996, rainmakesmehappy, GummyGal, and Christian Wolf99 for loyally reviewing and the rest of you for following/faving!**

"Hey, Sonic! C'mon, talk to me, spinebrain!"

Sonic tipped his head close to Shadow's, and with a hand that covered part of his mouth, said, "Can we _please_ leave him behind?"

Shadow grunted. "And you were mad about him staying at the camp."

Knuckles finally caught up, and he was by Sonic's side in a second, trying to keep up with the quicker pace of his companion. He threw out his hands extravagantly when the blue hedgehog continued to ignore him. "Give me a break, Sonic!" Knuckles said, "It was just a joke. I didn't think you would get all sensitive and uptight about it. I mean, you do stuff like that to me all the time."

Sonic snorted and quickened his pace further despite the large amounts of snow. Knuckles tried to follow, but he tripped up and fell face-first. The blue hedgehog snickered to himself but stopped when he met Shadow's glare.

"C'mon, you two buffoons, we're not out here to play around," the Ultimate Lifeform said, continuing on ahead of them.

"Yeah, we're supposed to _'scout'_ again," Sonic said mockingly and groaned, "Why do we have to have Knuckles around? He'll drag us down, so why did we allow him to come along?"

Shadow growled. "Oh, and when we scouted without the echidna, it went _so _well."

Said echidna popped his head out of the snow. "Sonic, I don't understand you," he said, "Why are you acting so petty about a little holiday cheer?" Knuckles then managed to scuffle out and reach Sonic's side once again, much to the blue hero's annoyance. "I apologized. What more can I do?"

Sonic turned his head away. "I bet Rouge made you apologize, didn't she?" he said crossly, "And you still think it's _so _funny."

Knuckles opened his mouth but then let it fall shut. "Well, it was kind of funny," he admitted with a grin, "But c'mon, how was it not?"

The blue hedgehog gave no response and promptly avoided a large, jagged tree branch. He had to admit; it was nice to have something else than the usual towering mountains and barren, snowy scenery. The trio hiked through the sparse amount of evergreen trees.

"Y'know, these trees would make some good firewood for the camp," Knuckles commented idly.

Sonic softened his harsh expression into a thoughtful one as he fingered the sharp needles connected to the branches. "Yeah..." he mumbled quietly.

Back at the camp, they really needed it. Despite it being daylight for the moment, darkness would soon come and bring chillier, more frigid temperatures than before. Fire was essential to keep Rouge functioning correctly, to heal Amy faster, and to help Tails in repairing the plane.

A pang of sorrow echoed in Sonic's heart at the fox's name as he trudged after Shadow and Knuckles. The fight between him and Tails seemed so long ago, but it still kept the two of them from actually interacting on a personal basis; the only words exchanged between them since that time consisted of provisions and other technicalities of the adventure.

_What have I done?_ Sonic thought, his head drooping slightly. He ran a gloved hand through his quills as his ankle dully showed signs of pain when he walked. _I never meant to shout at my little brother...he was the only one that really knew me. Sweet Mobius, I never-_

A tree branch suddenly flung into Sonic's face and caused him to stumble back and crash into a tree, its rough bark digging into his back. "Yee-ow!" he yelped, springing ahead of the evergreen and rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe it. Snickers from ahead caught his ears, and he turned his head to see Knuckles laughing at him once again.

"Gotcha again, spinebrain!" the red echidna crowed, clutching his ribs in laughter. Shadow stood not far off, shaking his head at the blue hero.

"Pay attention, and focus on the task at hand, faker," the Ultimate Lifeform said before continuing their path in the forest.

Though the fact that Shadow had just scolded him made his shoulders tense in anger, Sonic felt as if what the black hedgehog said made some sense in his present situation. It was decided then; he would talk to Tails and apologize to him for what he had done. Forget his pride and reputation, his little brother was worth much more than those things to lose him so easily. And maybe then all those horrible feelings he kept experiencing would go away.

Lines that were etched into Sonic's muzzle from stress instantly lifted along with the blue hero's spirits. With an actual grin, he stooped down to gather some snow into his palms, his eyes intent on the Guardian ahead. Firmly, he packed the fallen precipitation together as sunlight filtered through the trees, lighting his lime eyes with a familiar mischievousness that hadn't been seen for quite some time.

"Hey, Knuxie!" the blue hedgehog called, running at full speed towards the echidna. Knuckles turned his head around only to get pelted with a large snowball in the face. "Payback!"

Growling, the echidna wiped away the snow from his red eyebrows as Sonic soared by him. "Come back here, pincushion, and I'll show you what payback really is!" Knuckles roared and leapt after the blue hero.

All the while, Shadow pressed a gloved finger on each side of his temples as if to question an unseen force from above why he was paired up with the two.

Sonic picked up speed, sprinting through the evergreens like a madman. Playfully, he would smack branches forward that would successfully fly backwards and slap Knuckles in the face. An arrogant laugh escaped Sonic's lips. Classic.

"I've had enough of you, spinebrain! Come back here, and face me like a real hog!" Knuckles said irately.

"Yeah, sure, only if you catch me!" Sonic teased back. To make sure that the echidna would never reach him, his legs pumped faster and faster, beating against the pillows of snow.

Unexpectedly, the forest ended; the trees disappeared, and Sonic flew ahead on the white snow below him. Knowing the chase was over, the blue hedgehog willed his feet to stop, but his legs slid out from under him.

"Aauugh-!" he cried before performing an unintentional back flip and landing on his spiny bottom. Sonic shook his head to clear the images of floating Chaos Emeralds in his vision and attempted to climb to his feet. "Ouch! Man, that really hur-"

_Crack!_

Frozen in his spot, Sonic felt his ears twitch to the noise. His eyes trailed down worriedly.

"Sonic, don't move! You're on ice!" he heard Knuckles call from the forest about fifty feet out. Sonic quickly stumbled up to his feet to view the slippery, pastel blue surface he stood on.

_Crack!_

A lake? The blue hedgehog remained stock stiff as his eyes darted frantically about to try and discover the fracture in the ice. But wouldn't the ice be extremely thick by now?

"Sonic!" Knuckles said, looking as if he wanted to rescue him. However, Shadow grasped the scruff of his neck as the Guardian warned, "Behind you!"

Sonic swerved around carefully to see a trio of robots hovering slightly on the ice towards him. The forces may have looked more menacing if they weren't wearing brown antlers upon their heads and bright glowing red noses that matched their piercing eyes. "Shoot," he mumbled, his gaze inadvertently switching from Eggman's forces to the ground. He then called to his foes, "A challenge on ice, huh? Bring it on!"

The three machines landed roughly, causing several cracks to echo across the mountains. Sonic crouched down and then sprang from his position, acquiring a mid-air kick at one of the robot's heads and knocking it off easily. He flew backwards and secured his landing before attacking the next one.

"Sheesh, the doc must really not have watched his Christmas specials. There's only one Rudolph, y'know!" he called confidently to them.

"Your resistance is futile," the second robot crackled through a poor excuse for a voice chip, "Surrender and the doctor may have mercy on you."

"Never!" Sonic retorted defiantly, spin-dashing into the robot and dismantling it without any trouble. He turned to his last adversary and smoothed his quills back, approaching it slowly. "Two reindeer down. One more to go."

The robot stood there forlornly as Sonic revved up for one more Spin Dash, his feet and spines skidding against the slick surface. Then, his foe yanked out its last resort, a laser gun, and fired. Still, Sonic sprung at the robot, but he was stopped by the green substance when it hit his spiny blue skin. Paralysis leaped through his veins for a moment as he crashed onto the ground, stunned.

Immediately after, Sonic started to regain his senses as if he was recovering from frostbite. "What the-" he mumbled incredulously. The robot then smashed into him again, jamming the laser gun into his face.

"No!" Sonic cried and flung the robot off of him, pinning the heavy machine to the ground. The heartless, red eyes alit from his foe's face stared back at him before suddenly being submerged in ice cold water.

"Wha-?!"

Instantly, Sonic was plunged deep into the freezing water, his limbs floundering in astonishment. He couldn't let his attention run loose for long as the reindeer robot pointed the gun at him once again. Whether the gun worked underwater or not, the blue hero was determined not to find out.

Pushing the robot away with his sneakers, the blue hedgehog shot himself up along with the current of bubbles only to smash his face against solid ice. _NO! No, no, no, no!_ Sonic frantically banged his fists against the barrier between him and fresh air, his lime eyes wildly searching for another escape. However, his blows to the ice did nothing as the water slowed his arms to a snail's pace.

His lungs felt as if they were about to eat his insides for oxygen, and Sonic already sensed himself edge off the cliff into insanity. His jaws flew open in an effort to scream for help, but frigid water entered his windpipe and swallowed his internal organs. No longer did his arms work as he helplessly laid them numbly against the ice like an SOS signal. Still, his legs pumped wildly, swishing the water back and forth futilely as more and more unwanted liquid filled his lungs.

Sonic desperately hurled his head against the ice, the world becoming much smaller and beginning to crowd his darkening vision. _I have to get out, I have to get out, I have to get out, I have to get- _His thoughts were stopped short as his leg was jerked out of its movement. He cast a frenetic glance downwards and caught sight of a fierce red glow.

The robot was back for revenge.

His foe snagged his foot and pulled him down away from the ice, his only escape. He felt his lungs collapse inside just in that moment.

His mouth dangled open, his hands flew upward, and everything went black.

* * *

Snowflakes fluttered around in the brisk afternoon air, finally lessening its amount in the blizzard. It was a perfect time to stay out and finish tasks that proved to be difficult days ago. Rouge stayed outside and gathered ingredients for making a soup from their luggage. The ivory bat crinkled her nose in disgust; lettuce soup was becoming downright dull.

She shuddered as the wind whipped her pixie cut. The snow may not have been coming down so hard, but it was still pretty chilly outside. Rouge shuffled inside the cave and was welcomed with heat from the fire. Her sapphire eyes met the jade ones inside.

"Lettuce soup fine for you, hon?" the bat called.

Amy nodded. "Yes, that would be fine," she replied politely, her posture flawless, "Did Knuckles leave-?"

Rouge tore the lettuce in half, remembering their fight about the Guardian's stupid prank. "Yeah, he's gone, that son of a-" she cut herself off, glancing at the twelve year old gazing back at her, "Yeah, he's gone." Rouge was knowledgeable and quite skilled in swearing, but she tried to refrain from doing that around Amy; the girl didn't need to hear that kind of language at so young of an age.

The bat's companion nodded once again. "That's good," she said brightly, "Perhaps they'll find Eggman's base sooner." Her eyebrows then furrowed with concern. "Do you think Tails would want some soup?"

Rouge snorted to herself. If Amy was worrying about other people already, she was doing a lot better. "Nah," she said nonchalantly so as to not distress Amy, "He's been working on his plane ever since we got here. Trying to give him food while he's doing that would be a waste of time."

Noticing the pink hedgehog's wilting jade gaze, she quickly placed the bowl into her hands and, with a loud, over-the-top voice yelled, "Order up!" Amy giggled at the show.

"Thanks Rouge," the pink hedgehog said, smiling as she took the bowl.

Rouge sent her a friendly wink. "No problem, ho-" she paused suddenly, her giant ears twitching. Was that what she thought that was-?

"Amy, go deeper in the cave."

Confusion lay in Amy's expression and was woven throughout her facial features as she asked, "What's wrong?"

Rouge threw a swift kick at the roaring fire, and it fizzled out immediately, enveloping the two in darkness.

"Don't question me, just go," the bat ordered, her voice above a whisper as she nudged Amy's body deeper into the cave. There was that noise again. It appeared to be from farther out the cave, and it almost sounded like a gunshot...but it couldn't be that, right?

Her ears remained stiff and her entire body tightened, ready to spring into a melee stance when the time was right. Whatever the noise was, farther into safety was better at that point.

"Rouge, how much farther do I have to go? I can't see," Amy whimpered softly. The bat grimaced at the fact, but perhaps it was better for concealing themselves. "Is there something outside? Does Tails know? Should we warn him? What's happening?"

In slight annoyance, Rouge placed a gloved hand over Amy's mouth while her ears strained to pick up any noise outside. However, she could catch nothing else, except the drippings of the cave echoing along the walls and the howling wind outside. Maybe it was all a part of a reverie? Still, there was never a problem in being too cautious.

Her hand silently slipped off of Amy's muzzle, and she gradually backed farther into the cave. The pink hedgehog followed suit, her eyes reflecting the faraway light of the exit and becoming emerald in its glow. Rouge's shoulders were still tense, and her voice came as a hushed whisper.

"Okay, hon, I think we're safe here-"

Something hard and cold was pressed into Rouge's head from behind, relinquishing the words from her mouth. Amy yelped quietly as her head jerked forward and was pushed down by a sleek black object. The bat felt her heart grow cold at the sight of their visitors. Pairs of monstrous, cold red eyes.

_Ch-chk!_

Rouge swore.

* * *

**If you have any sort of opinion or something that you liked/disliked about this chapter, drop a little review! I appreciate any feedback, especially constructive criticism, and it helps me improve as a writer. So if you favorite this story, perhaps you could tell me why you like it so much. ;) Plus, I have a new story posted on FFN about Sonic and Tails brotherly. So if you could, it would be awesome to me if you could check it out and maybe review it.**

**Thanks!**

**-JD**


	8. Dashing Through The Snow

**Thank you again all who have been reviewing and following/faving! I have made minor changes to chapters 4-7 as well, so if you want to look back over those for a slightly different experience, you may.**

All he saw was black, basically nothingness. Then he smelled smoke, something like that. Afterwards, a rugged, fresh scent he could smell; it actually smelled quite good.

"Chaos Spear!"

Suddenly, Sonic's eyes fluttered open, catching sight of Knuckles and Shadow looming over his body in the white, snowy background. He sputtered instantly, curling into a half-closed ball and coughed, water spilling out of his mouth. The red echidna above him cheered.

"Yes, he's finally conscious!" Knuckles said and threw a fist in the air.

Sonic stared at his gloved hands, the material now literally soaked to his skin. He then swept one of them through his quills, which were also drenched. "What happen-" the blue hedgehog uttered drunkenly until the memories flew back to him.

He immediately sat up, gaping at the two in disgust. "Did you just use CPR on me?!" he cried, his gloved hands reaching at his mouth in horror.

Knuckles simply shook his head; a look of repulsion on his face told Sonic the answer. "Nope," the echidna said, "But the way we revived you was like so..." He gestured towards Shadow who promptly slammed a Chaos Spear square on Sonic's chest.

"Ow!" Sonic shouted, clutching his stomach in agony. "Why did you _do _that?" Smoke instantly entered Sonic's nostrils and then the rugged scent that seemed to come from...Shadow. The blue hedgehog felt shame burn his ears, and he groaned, closing his eyes and plopping back onto the pillowy snow.

"That was just a demonstration, faker," Shadow's voice stated.

Knuckles remained silent, but then his voice piped up, "Y'know, I think he just fell back into unconsciousness again, Shadow. Maybe you should do your Chaos Spear again."

Shadow raised his arm threateningly, but Sonic immediately scampered up to his feet, yelling, "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

The black hedgehog scoffed and withdrew his arched limb. "Well, then we should get going instead of trying to reenact a romantic comedy," he retorted and walked away.

Sonic's brow instantly furrowed, and he glanced at the zone's sky, which was already darkening. "How long was I out?" he asked, keeping in pace with Shadow. Knuckles followed behind sluggishly.

"Quite a while actually," the echidna said, "Of course we had to save you first and then we had to wake you up. Is the cold proving to be a problem?" The blue hero frowned as the wind licked at his glistening skin, his limbs already feeling like rubber.

"Naw, I'll manage," he assured, massaging his arms discreetly as they trudged through the evergreen forest once more.

Shadow lead the charge, his stern expression trained on what was ahead. Even Knuckles seemed a little edgy, not nearly as talkative as he was before. Sonic stared again at Shadow, whose body movements were jerky and stiff like a newly-made Barbie doll. The blue hedgehog was about to laugh until he felt a glare from behind.

Uneasily, Sonic looked to Knuckles who had cast a rather irate glower at him before turning his head back to the road. Still, his incisors gleamed menacingly as if he were gritting them in...anger.

"Okay, what's your problem, guys?" Sonic asked.

Sonic watched as the echidna's fists became tighter. "Well, a simple thank you would suffice," growled Knuckles.

The blue hero narrowed his eyes at the obvious, angry undertone. _That's_ what he was angry about? "Wow, it looks like the thesaurus I gave you is doing some real good with that vocabulary of yours," Sonic shot back without much concern, his voice edgy towards anger. The wind sliced through Sonic's wet fur and body, causing him to shiver.

This weather was just getting on his nerves.

"Ungrateful, little..."

Sonic felt his temper snap, and he stopped and waved an arm in the Guardian's direction. "And how was I supposed to know that I had to say I'm oh-so-indebted-to-you in order for you to be happy?"

Knuckles stopped walking as well and returned the blue hero's glare, purple eyes glowing dangerously. "Oh, maybe our saving you would give you a little clue, doofus! Or was that not enough to humble your ego?" He pressed a fist into Sonic's chest, its points creating small punctures in his skin.

Anger coursed through Sonic's veins like adrenaline, and he slapped away the echidna's arm. "And how many times have I saved _your_ hind? How many times have I stopped you from believing ol' Egghead?" he asked.

"That was only once!" the echidna protested.

Sonic deadpanned. "Many times, Knux."

"Shut up, spinebrain!" Knuckles spat angrily, "We saved you from _drowning_ and you haven't shown us a shred of appreciation! Eggman could've been found by now, but no, we lost time and resources to save you."

"And it was _worth _it!" Sonic proclaimed, driving a finger into the echidna's chest, "I'm the key player here. Without me, you guys would be nowhere! I'm the hero, the main role in defeating Egghead."

Mimicking the hedgehog's deadpanned expression, Knuckles said, "Uh huh, the key player who almost drowned too."

Sonic's lips pulled back into a snarl as the wind penetrated his warm layers of skin. "Says the one who _put_ me in that situation," the blue hedgehog retorted, "Honestly, at least I'm going to be remembered as the hero of Mobius. You, well, you'll be known for failing to guard a stupid rock time after time." Sonic cut off his speech abruptly as he noticed Knuckles' angry form. He had struck a chord.

"Take. That. Back. Spines for brains," he growled, his whole body tense. Sonic grinned an almost malicious grin while the snow beat against him; it was as if he were numb to the anger. This was true payback.

"It's true!" the blue hedgehog said, "You let Eggman, Rouge, anyone steal it from you, and you think you're a good Guardian? You're leaving it alone _right now_! What if Eggman steals it while you're not looking and uses it against us? That's not what I call a good Guardian; that's what I call an idiotic, brainless pathetic _loser_ who sticks me into dangerous situations with no cause. You're no Guardian; you're a-"

Sonic immediately shut his trap when Knuckles lunged at him with fists flailing. Shadow wrapped his strong black arms around the echidna as Knuckles roared, "Lemme at 'im, Shadow! Just one hit! Lemme level that so-called 'handsome' face of his, and see how he likes it!"

Right about now, he should've been satisfied with his result, and perhaps he would stop before he went too far. But no, Sonic felt his vision blur in an incomprehensible feeling. Was he still...angry? He called out sardonically to the echidna, "Come and get me, Knuxie! Imagine me as Rouge waiting for a kiss. Come at me, big boy! See, you're already running to me faster!"

"Blast it, Sonic, _shut up_!" Shadow bellowed as Knuckles tried desperately to get out of his grip.

Sonic only ignored the Ultimate Lifeform's warning. "Say I'm a worthless, irresponsible jerk? You should look at yourself!" he shouted, his voice increasing in volume. Boy, did this feel good to say.

"Leaving my duty and job for the greater good is what you call irresponsible?" Knuckles said, his muscles tense, as he glared up at the hedgehog, "As much as I don't want to leave it alone, I leave the Master Emerald to bring peace to the world. That's what it really wants. Shouldn't I deal with the forces outside my island before they affect me personally? ...How could you say I'm not a Guardian?" There was no more fury that clung to his voice, and he wilted instantly within Shadow's hold. At this angle, the sun shined on his red fur, which was matted down, tangled, and damp. Sonic clenched his fists at the sight.

As Shadow let go of the Guardian, Knuckles stared again at Sonic and softly muttered, "At least I fight for something _valuable_ and not for the thrill of it."

Sonic stiffened and glared at him in return, his lime eyes clouding over with vehemence. He had won against Knuckles, hadn't he? But today, he felt as if the battle had been lost.

"Let's get going. It's getting dark, and we already wasted enough time lollygagging," Shadow said and began on his way at a much faster pace. Knuckles pursued him closely, leaving Sonic to be the caboose as the blue hedgehog clenched his fists even tighter. The Guardian was just trying to get to him. He was just jealous, that was it.

Besides- -Sonic rubbed his hands together to keep warm- -he had more important things to do. The evergreen forest ended when it should've, and Sonic swung his legs swiftly in order to fight the numbness reaching his legs. Perhaps he should practice his apology to Tails...? Sonic shook his head. Naw, that would make it less sincere. He would wing it just like nearly everything else he did. _It always works anyway_.

Sonic was still in his thoughts when he smashed into a solid mound of red fur. Still angry at the echidna, he barked, "Knux, move, ya big lug! We don't have all day! Why didja stop anyway-"

Knuckles paid no attention to the blue hero's protest as he stared at what was ahead, his eyes hollow and glazed over. Then, he managed to choke out, "Wh-what happened?"

Confusion spread across Sonic's angry face until it was totally replaced by shock at the scene in front of him. "_That's _our hideout?" he asked.

It was demolished entirely; the camp looked barely recognizable. Fresh tracks were strewn all over the area of the camp as well as some dismembered mechanical limbs and parts. Still, there were too few of the robot damage compared to the overwhelming amount of tracks, a sure sign of futile resistance. Knuckles gaped in horror, and Shadow stared grimly at the scene as Sonic could not keep his feet from traveling to the spot that his eyes could never leave.

Before him was the Tornado or the remnants of it. The precious metal around the infrastructure was torn to shreds, and whatever repairs were made to it before were gone, marred by this ambush. The two tails symbol was brutally scratched out, and the mechanical masterpiece now laid there as a beat up hunk of metal. Worthless junk.

Sonic crashed to the bumpy blanket of snow, his lime eyes drained of life as they stared listlessly at the destruction. Howls of the wind enveloped his ears as his deadened gaze trailed down in front of him. A laser cannon laid there, left behind and half-buried within the snow.

_I'm too late._

"Rouge!" a gruff voice said, causing the blue hedgehog to rush to the direction of the voice in haste. Knuckles held the usually gorgeous bat in his arms and stared down at her in panic as Sonic and Shadow reached him. Rouge was covered in burns and deep cuts, and it seemed as if a new sickness had taken over her body since she began to cough violently, her half-lidded gaze turning to the two hedgehogs. "What happened, Rouge? What happened?"

The bat raised a finger weakly in a seemingly random direction, and she muttered, "Amy. In cave." Shadow was already on the task, fetching the poor, shaken girl from her hiding place.

When Amy caught sight of Rouge, she cried in horror and ran to her. "Rouge! Are you okay?" she said in deep concern, tears bubbling in her jade eyes, "Why did you make me hide? I could've helped!"

Rouge shook her head as she clambered to her feet with Knuckles as her support. "No, you couldn't have. They were too numerous, the robots."

"And? What about Tails?" Sonic asked with a slight franticness in his voice, his eyes still darting to and fro from the scene to catch any sign of his little brother, "You couldn't have forgotten about him, huh? Where is he? Is he all right?"

"Captured," Rouge said, "I'm sorry, Sonic. He's most likely with the doctor."

Sonic halted his speech, and he lifted a fist up to his mouth, pressing his lips against it in worry. He turned his back towards the group as his heart grew colder, drops of water slinking down from his eyes and freezing to his muzzle, as the sheer gravity of the situation came upon him. _No, that can't be..._ His lips then pulled back into a snarl. "And what were you doing while this was happening? Showing off?" he spat, the words solidifying in the harsh air like spittle.

The blue hedgehog turned to see the bat's calming expression. "I couldn't do anything about it, Sonic. There were too many of them...I couldn't handle all of them. I'm sorry," Rouge said slowly.

"Oh, _now_ you admit you can't handle everything at once!" Sonic exclaimed, feeling his rage increase by the second, "If you didn't have that stupid ego of yours, none of this would be happening right now! We would've been there to help you out, and an innocent life wouldn't have been captured because of _your_ pride."

Rouge's sorrowful face immediately turned into a warning look. "Now, wait a second, blue boy-"

"Don't even try to protest!" Sonic said, his quills bristling, "Letting all three of us go so you can hold up the camp was a completely irresponsible and selfish decision on your part! Of course you couldn't have handled yourself, you're a '_lady_.'"

Instead of backing down, Rouge took a step towards the blue hero. "Do _not_ preach to me, Sonic! There was _no way _I could've taken them all out by myself. Even you would've had trouble taking them out if you can wrap your big, fat head around that," she hissed, her pixie cut flaring out, "Maybe, if you would've gotten back in time, you could've stopped the ambush before it even happened!"

Sonic's eyes widened for a second at the possibility but then narrowed again. "Oh yeah, and who recommended ol' Knucklehead should come to scout with us and apologize to me?"

"Goodness, Sonic! You're _impossible_!" Rouge cried, smacking her head in frustration, "Maybe, instead of trying to put the blame on other people, you should try and take responsibility for your own actions. Perhaps then you can actually act more like an adult!"

The blue hedgehog waved away Rouge as he stared at the destroyed landscape and backed away. These lies were getting to his head, causing him to get a major migraine. Perhaps they were true? His allies all bore holes through him with their gazes as he threw up his hands in defeat. "Whatever, Rouge! I'm outta here!" he said quickly, bursting away in a sudden blue blur.

His feet carried him as far away as possible as he followed the already winnowing trail of dismembered robot limbs that could barely be seen in the pitch black of the zone's night. Snow blasted him from every side, picking up speed with the ever-wailing wind; the blizzard had come back for more. Finally, Sonic collapsed and threw a careless fist down on the ground as his breath came in heaves from rage and exhaustion. A murky passage laid ahead of him, two mountains on each side, creating a shadowy dead-end as if to signify his failure. His lime orbs grew void as precipitation rained and collected on him, and a storm of emotions overtook him, ones that were all too familiar but he couldn't comprehend.

"These feelings...can I ever escape them?" he mumbled inconsolably. Sonic reached out and clutched a lone robot head, the last one in his trail, and crushed it with a gloved hand. One thing he knew for sure; Tails was gone.

Suddenly, a hum caught the blue hedgehog's ears, and he tilted his gaze up to find out and nearly let his mouth drop in awe. What once was a dark dead-end was alit with green and red neon arrows that glowed and thrummed beneath the snow he laid on and across the two mountains. The arrows seemed to go on forever down the overpass until he saw what was at the end of the covered path. An exit, his salvation. Sonic stood up as the wind faded away into a minor nuisance, and he thanked his lucky stars for this miraculous occasion. However, his heart grew cold when he saw the symbol of the wide-mouthed grin of his arch-nemesis flashing in bright green and red beneath him.

But soon after, determination spread across Sonic's face and overwhelmed his features, causing him to draw back his feet over the fat man's face. Then, in a quick burst of speed, Sonic took off down the neon path with nothing short of a look that read he was alone and ready to battle.


	9. Snow Problem!

His lime eyes grew in color as he slipped down the path, feet pumping back and forth. Dark blue spines were tainted by the green and red of the arrows, and he approached his destination nearer than he thought.

Finally, the glowing welcome path ended, and Sonic stopped, driving up a flurry of snow in the process. Surprisingly, everything was calm, even the blizzard that had threatened to overtake him moments ago. The blue hedgehog took a hesitant step forward, eyes scanning, but the Christmas-colored lights flickered off, enveloping him in unfathomable darkness. His spines prickled upwards menacingly as he strained to see in the muddy black ahead of him. His deep voice cut through the chill air, simple yet effective.

"All right, Eggman. Let's go."

As if on cue, overwhelming streams of white spotlights attacked Sonic's line of sight and engulfed him in his very spot. With a hand shading his eyes, the blue hedgehog spotted countless pairs of lifeless, unemotional red eyes before him from the slight white light touching them. From the spotlights, Sonic caught sleek, metallic sheens of laser guns in their mechanical claws, all prepped and ready to fire at him.

The blue hero immediately fell into a fighting posture as the sea of robots took one step forward. Suddenly, out of all the fray flew the source of the spotlights, a small red and green Christmas-themed pod with a visor protecting the grinning madman himself.

"Sonic, so glad to see you, my friend!" the doctor said, pulling his hands together in glee, "I thought you'd never arrive!"

"This game ends _now_, Egghead!" Sonic cried, lifting a pointer finger, "Where are you holding Tails?"

Eggman grinned at his nemesis's question. "Oh, you mean this fox?" he asked, yanking a bushy yellow tail out in the open with the owner dangling below.

"Tails!" Sonic called, his voice growing panicky. His gaze switched back to Eggman, and he snarled, "Give 'im back this instant, or I'll-"

The madman sighed abruptly, cutting the hedgehog's sentence off. "If you wish," he said and dropped the two-tailed fox into the snow. Tails immediately scampered to Sonic in between gasps of terror. Now that the fox was closer, Sonic could spot several burns and wounds covering the furry body. The blue hedgehog kneeled down and placed his arms around the wide-eyed kid.

"Are you all right, Tails?" he asked, receiving only a furious nod. Then he stared at him for a prolonged period of silence. His ears drooped a bit at Tails' state and he whispered, "I'm sorry." The two words and the knowing stare between the two immediately gave a full sense of closure in the midst of their controversy.

Sonic knew now he was forgiven.

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Eggman cooed, breaking the duo's stare, "An estranged relationship finally mended back together. How touching."

The blue hedgehog narrowed his eyes and mumbled to the doctor, "Estranged? How did you know-?"

"It's absolutely pathetic that I had to _help_ you get to me. And to think that you were the one who defeated me a while back," Eggman said, heaving a sigh, "I could do better."

Confusion spread across Sonic's face as he racked his brain for any answers to Eggman's bizarre talk. None at all. "Look, Egghead, I don't know what you're blathering about, but your tyranny over White Acropolis Zone and whatever diabolical plans you had for the world end now! Now be the obese man you are and face me!" Sonic said defiantly, raising his fists in the chilly night air.

Eggman wagged a teasing finger. "Ah, ah, ah, rodent! How do I know you're good enough to face my ultimate battle robot? Eliminate all my robots and then we'll talk," he said ominously before waving his arms over his massive army, "Robots, attack!"

Sonic took a step forward as the horde of robots neared him, but Tails snatched his arm. "Sonic!" the fox cried, and Sonic could tell from the worry in his blue eyes that there were more robots than the spotlights were letting on.

In response, the blue hedgehog grasped the fox's yellow arm as well. "You ready?" he asked, knowing that the only chance they had was to fight together.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Tails said, his blue eyes glinting with determination.

Sonic grinned at his little bro, the first natural smile he had had in days, and the two leapt past each other in opposite directions, already taking on the first wave of malicious machines.

The blue hedgehog drilled through several offenders' hulls with his trademark Spin-dash, putting several of them out of commission. He had to avoid often the gunfire shooting out in variations of green and yellow in order to defeat them. Sonic did not want another repeat with the 'laser incident'; that was for sure.

When another robot crumpled at the blue hero's feet, he stood over it and stripped it of its laser gun. The foreign object rested in his gloves as his lime eyes scrutinized it quickly. _What is this? _This gun really looked...out of this world. At least, nothing he'd seen before.

"Sonic!" Tails called, jarring the hedgehog out of his mind, just to spot another wave of oncoming Eggman minions. With a smirk, he plunged back into the fight. After a couple of Homing Attacks, they were destroyed as he let the fox take out the last one with a Spin Dash. Pride surged through Sonic at the sight; Tails was nearly a master with that move.

"Easy as chilidog pie," the blue hedgehog said, ignoring the backlash he got in his throat, "It's over, Eggman. Now will you face me?"

He approached the fat man gradually, causing the doctor to flounder around in his Eggscape pod. "Ah, v-very impressive, rodent," Eggman said, a hint of worry glinting in his navy spectacles. Instantly the worrisome look was exchanged for a sinister scowl. "But that was nothing!"

With a push of button, seas of robots exploded out of the deep dark recesses of the scenery and surrounded Sonic and Tails, shooting at the two every chance they got.

"Yowza!" Sonic cried and jumping into the air to avoid the turmoil below, "Tails, lift! I needa lift!"

Tails automatically complied, and the two were sky high. However, they were still in no better position than the last one. Sonic felt a bullet skin a piece of his leg, and pain detonated in his limb like a bomb. He yelped in pain and looked down but immediately wished he hadn't. The robots now shot up in the air, barely nicking their targets as Eggman cackled maniacally from below at their impending doom like an obese parrot.

"Sonic, how are we going to defeat _all_ of them? There's too many!" Tails shouted frightfully, trying to fly away.

The blue hedgehog felt his head spin as he stared at the many robots beneath his feet. Funny, he never thought it would end like this, dangling in the air until they were picked off by laser guns like birds in hunting season. "I-I don't-" he stopped when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted black blurs coming along the horizon in the beginning dawn of day.

Tails noticed it as well, and he cheered in victory. "Just in the nick of time!" he cried elatedly, flying Sonic out of the torrent of gunfire, "Guys, over here!"

Below, Sonic saw the rest of his allies running at him, all with grim faces. The sun reflected the relief off his bright lime eyes, and he slipped his hands out of the fox's grip and landed majestically in the snow.

Tails landed next to him, shivering uncontrollably.

The blue hedgehog nudged the fox with a smile. "Next time, wear your winter coats."

The fox gratefully beamed at him as the others finally arrived on foot next to the two. Sonic grinned. Despite his arguments with them, he was still grateful that they came.

Sonic spun around to face his enemies and barely dodged a projectile that almost took his head off. With newfound determination, he sprinted towards them, feet pumping in greater speed. Knuckles and Shadow flanked his sides as they dashed toward the bumbling endless army of robots.

Chaos ensued among their opponents, and with an increased number of super-powered Mobians, they were able to wipe out a significant amount of them. Still, the evil side reigned in number and artillery as shots continued to ring out in the morning sun.

When Sonic stomped down another robot, Eggman dived down and called, "Come, rodent, you've completed your challenge! Face me!" A slight eyebrow raise was the only reaction Sonic had to this unusual change of habit, but a wild grin played on his lips as Eggman flew away.

"All right, Eggbum," he said, gaining momentum towards the escaping transport, "Boss level, here I come!" They covered quite some distance from the previous fight, and Sonic pondered in his head at how Eggman could move so fast in that tiny pod. Large ice structures rose in this new landscape and competed with the mountains in height and splendor as Sonic came after his enemy.

However, the doctor disappeared over the edge of a snowy cliff and burst out with a humongous battle robot. It had the appearance of a Greek warrior decorated in red and green armor, with its giant mechanical claw ten times bigger than the hedgehog gripping a dangling mace and the other holding up a majestic shield. The face was obviously inspired off its creator's as it wore a hideous orange jagged moustache and crazy blue-plated eyes. Its metallic hide gleamed in the mid-morning sun, attaining the entrance it deserved. Embedded in the large, spherical belly was the cockpit, where the fat man resided in. "Now, rodent, meet my Christmas Eggsterminator!" the fat man bellowed as the giant machine raised its shield in triumph and slammed it down onto its blue foe.

Sonic narrowly avoided the attack as his eyes swiftly scanned this monstrous object in his run, straining to identify any of its weak points. He easily dashed behind it only to receive a mace to the kisser.

He was flung back from the blow and crashed into the snow. "What the-?" He barely had enough time to say that before he had to dodge the next attack of the robot.

"HOHOHHO, give up now, rodent?" the Eggman cackled as Sonic circled his foe.

"In your dreams, fat man!" the blue hedgehog retorted, trying desperately to calculate the flaws in the robot.

"Don't even try!" Eggman said and made his robot swing its mace and scarcely nick Sonic, "The design is practically _faultless_! Everything in it was created with the intention of eliminating you, Sonic."

Sonic scoffed as he attempted to Spin-Dash into the backs of the robot's knees but unsuccessfully bounced off. "I feel so loved," he muttered, curling up into a ball once again. This time he nailed his nemesis's invention square in the back, creating a large dent in the hull.

A winning smirk instantly sprouted on his muzzle. "Hey, Eggy! Found your fault!" he called before repeatedly banging against the back. Eggman forced the robot to flail to perhaps lay a lucky hit upon his archenemy, but it was no use. If Eggman couldn't get his robot to face Sonic soon, the battle would be over in a minute.

The fat man's creation stumbled backwards once more as Sonic prepared to deliver the final blow on its backside. Adrenaline pumped through his veins like a drug, and his lime eyes gleamed crazily. More momentum was built in his Spin-Dash than any other attack he had enforced upon the foe, and Sonic shot forward. His plan was to drill and mess the whole robot from the inside, and it looked pretty probable at this point.

He razed off the back entirely, but instead of gaining more speed from this blow, he couldn't move at all. "What the-?" Sonic said, attempting to swivel his head. However, that couldn't move either. As the metallic plates of the robot's back fell off, the blue hero discovered green goop secreting from it like blood. He realized in horror that it was the green goop that he encountered with against the three machines on ice. He struggled futilely; he was a fly stuck to a spider's web. "What _is _this?"

His eyes shifted from the goop sticking to him and widened when he spotted the mace hurtling at him. "No-!"

The weapon smashed into the back and narrowly missed Sonic, but the brunt force shot him out of the web of goo and back into the fresh snow. Still a bit numb, the blue hedgehog thanked his lucky stars once again to meet his second-worst enemy. A click of disapproval caused Sonic to tilt his head to catch sight of Eggman in the robot.

"A poorly aimed hit," he murmured, "Some damage, nevertheless, it was all worth it."

Sonic smirked and began to rise up on his recovering numb limbs. "Oh yeah? Bring it on, Eggy!" he said. Instantly, pain shot to his brain amongst the paralysis, and the blue hero nearly crumpled back into the snow. He felt the color drain from his face as he stared at the source of the pain, his old injury, his leg, rendering him useless because of insurmountable pain.

Eggman's sinister grin broadened. "Gladly," he growled, swinging the mace across the snow.

The blue hedgehog tried to limp out of the way, but the weapon hit him dead on and sent him flying into a rigid pillar of ice. Sonic raised his body up feebly to make a counter. However, any chances of that were gone as the mace smacked into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Instead of slithering to the ground, Sonic latched onto the weapon and hung onto it for dear life while it was shaken vigorously about.

Suddenly, all horizontal movement stopped, and the blue hedgehog felt the altitude around him increase as he was put under scrutiny of his nemesis. "Little bug, how to get you off," came the mocking voice. Sonic winced helplessly at the enjoyment.

"Oh, I know how."

The blue hero felt his stomach lurch as he was hurled into the rocky ground of a mountain, a large ice formation, and then back again, literally being thrashed around like a chew toy. Then in a final wallop, the mace was smashed into the ice and was dragged through it, causing sharp fragments to fly up and sting his eyes.

Pain screamed in Sonic so much that he released, tumbling off the weapon and into the snow once again. The towering robot advanced on him, and the tiny blue hedgehog scampered back to feel the cold tall wall of ice curled in a 'C' around him. He was trapped.

"No..." he moaned, pain glazing over his eyes as he tried again to use his throbbing ankle. No response.

Eggman only grinned. "Bye, rodent. It was a pleasure to play the game with you, really. Tell me how the afterlife is when you get there. Perhaps then you'll be alone for the holidays." The dark shadow over the blue hedgehog grew darker as the mace was lifted over the robot's head and swung down on him. Sonic glared at his nemesis, ready to meet his doom with dignity.

"SONIC!"

Suddenly, warmth enveloped the blue hedgehog's side, and he was shoved out of the way into what looked like an ice cavern along with a pink blur just as the mace came down. It crushed a huge chunk of ice, and the pieces flew down, caving in on a very dazed blue hedgehog and a pink one next to him; both probably would never see the light of day again.


End file.
